Black Moon
by elainealexander
Summary: Book Two - A sequel to 'Red Moon' and based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series.
1. Chapter 1

_The room is dark, small and damp. A small window lets me see out at the world I fear I will soon be leaving. How had it come to this? Wasn't I immortal? And yet I would die here in the enemy's cave._

_Perhaps one day I would be found, my ashes mixing in with the dust on the ground, and they would mourn my life, my death. I would die in peace if I could just see my baby's face one more time._

_Instead I sit, cowering in a corner, hiding from a black moon come to take me away._

1.

The sun was setting, casting a red and purple glow over the little living room where I sat on a couch with my husband. He had his arms wrapped around me, my head snuggly on his chest, as we watched a movie he'd chosen. I was paying no attention to the comedy, instead concentrating on the rise and fall of John's chest and the soft pattering of rain on the roof. Cheery music came across the speakers and I glanced at the TV screen, where credits slowly rolled by.

John moaned softly and stretched his legs and arms.

"Hello, snuggle bunny," he whispered in my ear, kissing the top of my head softly. I smiled and turned my face up to his, shifting in his arms so I was turned towards him. I put my hand against the back of his head and slowly pulled his head down until our lips met. He kissed my lips softly, sending a tingling sensation down my spine. I kissed him back deeply and felt his arms tighten around me as he returned the kiss. The music continued on in the background, but all I could hear was the rain and our breathing.

John unlocked our lips and pulled me up onto his lap. I slid my arms around his neck and looked into his soft eyes. A smile turned my lips up. "Hello," I said breathily.

His arms snaked around my waist as he pulled me closer to him. I bent my head down to meet his lips.

We sat like that, kissing, for what felt like ages. A small bead of seat trailed down his forehead, transferring to my cheek where it touched his. I pulled back slowly, climbing off him. With a smoldering look on his face, I took his hand and winked. "Shall we do this?" I asked him sweetly, inclining my head towards our bedroom.

A grin flashed across his face and he winked back at me. "Yes, ma'am."

A soft sound pulled me out of my daydream. My eyes opened, sunlight stealing away the darkness behind my lids. I had been sitting on the armchair in our little cabin's living room, dreaming up that beautiful scene. A sad sigh left my lips as I realized it was just a dream. I had been lapsing into these dreams, loosing myself in my head, a lot lately. Very little had improved in my relationship with John and I found myself filling the void that left with those little moments of bliss.

My thoughts returned to the sound I had heard, the one that had pulled me out of my daydream. I glanced at the sun. John would be getting up soon. I must have heard him moving around on the bed. I pulled myself off the couch, but took no moves beyond that. I pushed my hands through my hair and let out another sigh. Life had been so difficult these past months. John and I were like two strangers, forced to live together, a small though lingering in the back of our minds, reminding us we used to be in love. No, we still were in love. It was just so awkward.

My life had changed dramatically the night of my car accident. On my way to meet my husband in Port Angeles, pregnant with our first child, she had kicked my belly and without thinking, my eyes moved away from the round and down to my swollen tummy. I heard the horn before I saw the lights, piercing through the pouring rain. I had no time to think, so I jerked my wheel and slammed on the brakes, causing my car to flip over, flying over the 18-wheeler. The lights below me were the last things I could see before my head hit the windshield.

I woke up in a strange room, where seven strangers told me I had lost my child and would forever be one of them, living as a vampire. They had saved my life, but it felt like the worst day of my life.

As time passed, I came to accept who I had become, including my little "gift" of connecting with other people's abilities. The longing in my heart to see my husband again had grown to a desperate point. I could no longer stand it, and I begged them to find him for me. Some days, I regretted that decision. It hadn't taken him long to find out what I was, what the Cullens were. All hell had broken loose and he had run away. The Volturi, who were like the royalty of the vampire world, had shown up to contain the situation. We had fought them on that hill and dragged a half-dead John back to the Cullen's home.

For a few weeks, we hadn't spoken a word about what had happened that night to John, and no one ever dared to mention the "V" word when he was around, or anything to do with it. We were together, but it was nothing like it had been before my accident. Until a couple of months ago, John and I had lived almost separate lives. I cooked and kept our little cabin neat, where he sat cooped up for the first few days, but we hardly spoke.

Lately, it had become quite a bit better. He seemed to like being around me again, greeting me cheerfully and sometimes showering me with kisses. We talked every morning as he ate his breakfast, discussing the day. He usually spent it at the Cullen's, while I went about my tasks for the day. At night, he would kiss me and eat dinner. We would watch a movie or read until he finally pulled himself to the bedroom to sleep. Sometimes I would join him for a little bit, snuggling against his warm body. It was a fraction of the like we had lived before, nothing close to what it had been or what I dreamed it could be. But I faced every day with a smile, hoping that every day brought us one step closer together. I wouldn't let this get me down. He was still the only man I truly loved, and I was always reminded of that.

Esme had been as sweet and thoughtful as ever those first few days after John had come back with us. She had built us a little cabin in the woods, on the other side of the house from where Edward and Bella's was. John had been relieved to be able to get out of the house, though now he spent most of his time in the Cullen's house anyways. Though it _was_ nice that he could get away at night to sleep undisturbed.

I glanced towards the bedroom door, which was still closed, and made my way to the bathroom to make sure everything was in order. I folded the towel neatly and placed it on the small rack beside the shower. I checked to make sure there was still enough shampoo and soap left in the bottles, noting that my husband was getting low on shaving cream. I made a mental note to go out today if it was rainy and get some more.

I slipped silently into the kitchen and pulled out the eggs and the packet of bacon, along with a skillet. Over the last few months I had grown desensitized to the food smell, though I was careful not to inhale too deeply when I was cooking. As the scrambled eggs sat cooking in the pan, I looked around myself. The little cabin I shared with the love of my life had become one of my most favorite spots in the world to be. I glanced around the tiny but cozy kitchen, at the stove and fridge that were used to cook and hold food for him. I smiled happily to myself, pushing away all the cobwebs from before, and began to hum, pushing the eggs around with a wooden spatula.

"Good morning, sleepy eyes," I called cheerfully to John as he stumbled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing me softly on the neck. A warm feeling fluttered up my spine and I smiled. "Good morning," he whispered groggily into my neck. His hot breath on my cold skin gave me shivers; it was the best feeling in the world to have him so near to me after those three years apart.

I pushed his food unto a plate and poured him a glass of orange juice, setting it down on the counter that was attached to the front of the kitchen. He scarfed down his eggs hungrily as I put carton of eggs and juice away.

The sink was located behind the counter where he sat, and I looked up from the pan I was scrubbing. "What are you going to do today?" I asked him curiously.

He looked up at me and smiled, ignoring my question. "You look beautiful today," he said with a wink.

I laughed softly. "I look the same way every day."

"Well, you know you look beautiful every day, but sometimes you look especially beautiful." He glanced down at the purple v-neck shirt I was wearing. "You look good in purple," he said softly with a smile.

I grinned. "Thank you, and you look good in pj's," I added with a wink.

He looked down at the gray shirt and sweat pants he was wearing and grinned sheepishly. He hopped up out of the chair, put his dishes in the sink, and walked off towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna hang out with Emmett today," he finally said in reply to my earlier question. "There's a big game on tonight, babe."

Of course, it was Sunday night football. _How could I forget,_ I thought as I rolled my eyes, though smiling inwardly. I was happy to see John getting along so well with Emmett. He had been very quiet the first few days we had come back from the encounter in the clearing, keeping mostly to himself. But Emmett had pulled him out of his sadness like only Emmett could, and now the two were hard to separate.

We had grown into a routine that felt as old as time. Every morning, before John woke up, I would make his breakfast. Then at lunchtime, he would put together a sandwich or something for himself, and at 6, I made him dinner. He always took a shower after breakfast, and then went out to hang out with one of the boys. And every night, after John had drifted off to sleep, I would sit and watch him. Sometimes Alice would come over and we would talk in the little living room until the sun rose. The nights she didn't come over were the nights that I would slip into the daydreams. I hadn't told anyone about them, though I was sure at least Edward and Alice knew about them. The fact that Edward could read minds never left him in the dark about anything, and if anything was going on with me, Alice was the second to know, either through her visions or through Edward telling her. They hadn't mentioned anything to me though, so I figured it wasn't that big of a deal. This is what I told myself whenever I started to wonder if I was loosing my grip on reality.

I had started teaching dance classes a few months ago when Alice had begged me, telling me that she had seen it happen in a vision. Though she thought it was her pleading that had made me do it, I knew I would have done it even if she'd simply asked or suggested it. The local dance studio had been abandoned years ago because there were not enough students; or teachers, for that matter. The woman who had started the place was nearly 60 now, too old and frail to dance. So I had started a few classes a few miles from town, close enough to get local kids, but also far enough away so that city children could come too. When I had told Esme about my plan to open a studio, she told me she had taken a few dance lessons when she was a teenager and would love to help me.

"Really?" I'd asked in complete surprise. "I never knew!"

She had laughed. "I never really though about it, I suppose, until now."

"And you could have been dancing with me and Alice all this time!"

She smiled. "Yes. I am kind of bummed that I missed out on those lessons."

"Well, you can join me anytime," I added with a smile.

That night I had gathered everyone together in the living room and told them about my plans. Alice sat next to me, wearing a silly girlish grin the whole time I talked. When I was done, she clapped her hands and cried out happily, "Oh, isn't it grand?"

Everyone had laughed softly. "It sounds like a great plan, Lisa," Carlisle said. "Though you know you don't have to work. You're welcome to our money."

I smiled sincerely at him. "Thank you, Carlisle, but I _want_ to do this."

He nodded. "Good," he said softly, a smile tugging at his lips as he glanced at his wife with a knowing look. Apparently she had told him she was going to be teaching with me.

Bella smiled hesitantly at me. "I would help you but we all know I would probably be worse than most of the kids you'd teach."

Everyone chuckled and Emmett elbowed her in the side softly. "At least you wouldn't be able to break your legs."

"Don't worry, Bella, I wasn't going to torture you by asking you to help."

She looked relieved. "Thanks."

"And if you need any help with the rowdy kids," Emmett spoke up, patting his muscled arm with a wink. "I'm here to set 'em straight. As long as you don't put me in a leotard."

I heard Rosalie let out a snort as an image of Emmett in pink tights and a tutu filled my mind. "I don't think they have any in your size anyways."

"Will it just be you?" Edward asked me.

I shook my head. "Alice and Esme are going to be teaching with me."

Everyone except for Carlisle and Esme looked shocked. Jasper turned to Esme with a look of true astonishment. "You can dance?"

Esme chuckled softly. Bella asked her why she'd never told any of them. Esme simply shrugged and smiled, "I didn't think there was any need."

Alice, who I was sure had known about this, though I hadn't told her, clapped her hands again. "Oh, what joy!" I heard Edward chuckle softly and I wondered what sort of party Alice was having in her mind.

We had found a building exactly where I had wanted the studio to be. After a lot of renovation, we had three separate rooms lined with mirrors and a front office and sitting area for the parents. We had purchased three cd players for each room along with props and mats. Flyers had been sent to every home in Forks, Port Angeles, and the surrounding areas.

And so far, everything was going great. Alice taught the youngest students, while I taught the more advanced age groups with Esme. Alice had five little girls in her ballet class and 7 in her jazz class and they all adored her and her fun-loving spirit. Esme taught the ballet and jazz classes, both containing 8 teenage girls, while I taught hip-hop and contemporary dance. I had an even number of girls and boys in my hip hop class, five of each, and 6 girls in the contemporary class. On the first day of classes, the parents of almost every child had come up to me and thanked to me for starting this, telling me how their kids had begged to take dance and how they had not wanted to do the trip to Seattle every day. The kids' love of dance shone through in their bright smiles and extreme concentration.

Though we only had class three times a week, we were now at the studio almost every day, practicing for a little performance we were putting on at the end of the year. The high school in Forks had promised to let us use their gym. Alice was beyond excited about the show, and the rest of the Cullens felt her excitement, which drew them in until almost everyone was helping out in some way. Esme promised to help us decorate when the day came and the boys said they would help set up the stage and the chairs. Edward and Renesme were busy rehearsing the seemingly endless list of songs on the piano, while Alice had Bella and Rosalie making and painting the backdrops and simple props. Alice took over completely as the brains behind the whole operation, and willingly I let her take full control over all the planning. I had never been any good at planning anything and I was glad to have that taken off my hands. I was busy teaching the students, practicing daily with them. Esme and I had taken over teaching Alice's classes while she was occupied with the other stuff.

One night as Alice and I sat in the little living room in John and I's cabin chatting, she said something about costumes.

I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. "Oh, Alice," I groaned into my palm. "I didn't think about that at all."

She shook her head at me in disbelief. "Well, don't worry, I've got it covered." She glanced at me, trying to look slightly annoyed, though I saw the small smile threatening to turn up the corners of her mouth. "Aren't you glad you have me to take care of that stuff. Honestly, Lisa, sometimes I don't know where your head is."

I chuckled under my breath and whispered, "Neither do I."

As she turned to look back down at the notepad in her lap, I saw the smile spread across her face. She ran down the list of everything that she had written down once more.

"You thought of everything," I reassured her. "You've gone a little bit overboard, even."

"A little," Alice said with a chuckle. She glanced over at me.

"Yeah," I giggled. "A little." Alice had thought of everything that would be needed for the performance and a lot of stuff that was not needed but would just be nice. She was going all out with this. Esme assured me that Alice never did anything halfway and I knew now that it was true.

The room began to grow lighter and I glanced up and noticed that the sun was almost up. John would be awake in a few hours.

Alice had noticed the changing light too. "Don't worry about the costumes, Lisa," Alice said as she stood to leave, stretching out her legs. "I'll find the perfect ones." And then she was gone, leaving my head spinning with everything she was doing. I would have never been able to pull off half of what she was attempting.

And, true to her word, Alice found the perfect outfit for every single child in the production a few days later. She dropped by the studio the next day to show off the outfits. Everyone was excited when she showed them, some of the little ones promising they would wear them every day until the show. I smiled as I watched Alice eat up all the excitement, a smile stuck on her lips the whole time.


	2. Chapter 2

2.

I was resting my legs after the last practice time of the day, when one of Alice's little girls waddled up to me in a spotted leotard and a pink tutu; her white leggings were torn in a few places, probably from when she had fallen. She tapped my arm lightly, and I turned towards her, smiling cheerfully.

"Hello, Abby!" I said softly.

She nodded shyly. "Hello," she mumbled out.

I saw her mother standing a few feet away, watching us with a careful smile. I remembered her as one of the grateful mothers from the first day, Martha.

Abby looked up at me, blue eyes sparkling with tears.

Worry shot through my veins. "What's wrong, honey?" I asked her, concerned. I glanced back at her mother again, but saw no change in her expression.

I rubbed the girl's blond head softly. "Miss Lisa," she started quietly, sounding like a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

I nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"I was wearing my outfit for the show yesterday and spilled some juice on it," she whispered. I was thankful for my perfect and acute hearing, or else I may not have heard her.

I nearly laughed at how worried I had been as relief flooded me. "That's okay, honey," I replied with a smile.

Her mother was standing in front of me now, and she smiled at me apologetically. "She spilled grape juice on her leotard yesterday," she clarified. I looked up at the mother and smiled.

I stood up and noticed with surprise that Martha was almost a head shorter than me. "That's alright," I said to her, then looked back down at Abby, "I'll have Miss Alice get you a new one. No problem!"

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Martha said. She began digging in her purse. "I can give you a check for the replacement outfit."

I shook my head. "No worries," I replied. "I'll take care of it, don't worry about paying for it. Honestly, we realized that something like this might happen, so we bought a few extras. I'll have Alice find her size and I'll have it for you by tomorrow." I glanced down at Abby, who was grinning up at me.

"Thank you, Miss Lisa!" she said with a lisp because of the huge gap in between her teeth. She had shown me her tooth the day it had fallen out. I recalled with a smile how proud she had been.

I got down to her level and hugged her. "Of course, honey."

The mother thanked me with a sweet smile and I watched them walk out the door, Abby skipping next to her mother. I smiled to myself.

I picked up all my things and headed out the door. Alice and Esme were waiting outside by Esme's car. We all climbed in. The second all our doors were shut, Alice turned around in her seat and smiled at me. "You're great with kids, you know."

I laughed half-heartedly, hoping she would leave it at that, but she didn't.

"You would have been a great mom."

Esme noticed my discomfort and told Alice quietly to stop. Alice's face froze, not understanding what she had said wrong and turned around slowly, facing the front. The car grew deathly silent. Thought of Lily Anne flooded my mind. I would have been a great mother, wouldn't I? But now I would never have that chance. I bit my lip, fighting back the urge to sob. Alice was just trying to be nice. It wasn't her fault that what she had said brought up such painful memories for me.  
>We were almost to the house when I swallowed all my pain, buried it, and turned so I was looking at the back of Alice's head.<p>

"Alice," I whispered softly, relieved that my voice was under control.  
>She turned as quick as lightning with an eager expression on her face. "Lisa, I'm so sorry!" she blurted out.<p>

I shook my head, patting the hand she had placed around the headrest. "It's alright, Alice, really."  
>She smiled, her regret shining through her eyes. When we got out of the car, I hugged her tight. "It's really alright, Alice," I whispered into her ear.<br>She nodded, squeezing my hand, before running to the house. I hopes Jasper would be able to reassure her that I was fine and everything was really all right.

I glanced at the clock on my phone and noticed it was almost 6. I hurried off to our little cabin and began dinner for John.

Pulling open the door to our cottage, I let out a gasp of surprise when I saw John sitting on one of the couches in the living room. The setting sun was shinning off my skin, making the whole room as bright as midday, so I quickly stepped inside and shut the door, enveloping the room in near darkness. He still hadn't grown quite used to the effects the sun had on my skin. "John!"

He turned towards me. I could see the tears that streaked his face and his red, blotchy cheeks, even though it was nearly pitch dark inside. I ran towards him and gently pulled him into my arms. "Oh John!"

A million possibilities as to why he would be crying ran through my mind. _Was he going to leave me? Oh please, God…_

He sucked in a shaky breath and pushed himself away from me. Worry bloomed fully inside my chest. "John, what's wrong?" I gulped out.  
>He was holding something in his hands and I glanced down at it. It was a small snapshot, about the size of a passport photo. "John?"<p>

And then I saw the beautiful face, red from crying, on the little piece of paper. "Oh," I gasped out as I clutched my middle. All the feelings from the car came rushing back. I moved slowly to take the photo out of his hands and I slowly fingered the face of my beautiful angel. "Oh, Lily."

Now it was John's turn to pull me into his lap. His tears had dried up but his voice was still shaky as he said, "Tomorrow she would have been four."

A sob escaped my throat, though no tears came. All the emotions I had been holding back for all these years now were threatening to come out all at once. Barely I managed to hold on to some control. I buried my face in John's chest and he held me as tightly as he could. I felt wetness hit my scalp and realized John was crying again. Oh, how I would give anything for the sweet release that tears could bring me. But I had to be strong.

When I opened my eyes again, I could tell it was pitch dark in the little cabin, though I could still see everything clearly.

"John," I whispered, looking up into his face. He had stopped crying, his face unreadable as he stared off into space. I wished Edward were here so I could know what John was thinking. "John, we have to move on, baby."  
>His eyes slowly moved to my face, looking it over carefully. Finally he spoke in a gravely voice. "A year ago I though both my wife and baby girl were dead."<p>

I nodded, waiting for him to finish.

His hand moved to my cheek, stroking it lovingly. "I am so thankful that I have you back. You make life bearable."

I closed my eyes and marveled in the feel of his warm hand against my marble skin. "I love you so much, John," I whispered, loud enough so he could hear.  
>And then I felt something I had been yearning for for a long time. John's lips touched mine softly, kissing me. He stayed that way for a while, not pulling back, until the hand that was on my cheek moved to brush through my hair and he pushed me into him, kissing me hard. His hot breath on my tongue sent my head into a frenzy and I kissed him back, hungrily. I nearly lost myself before I remembered that he was only human. I pulled back sharply and exhaled. "John."<p>

He was staring at me, a dazed expression on his face.

"John, that was dangerous, I could have hurt you!"

He started shaking his head. "No, no. Don't you see, Lisa? I don't care anymore. I love you." He took my hands in both of his. "Please, Lisa." He kissed my fingers. "Please, just kiss me. Forget about hurting me. I just need you to love me."

My resolve dropped and I leaned into him again, kissing him wildly on the lips. I was still very careful not to hurt him, but with every kiss I began to realize how much I had missed this about my husband. This was the first true sign of intimacy he had showed me in a long time. I let myself unravel as he kissed me passionately.

When he stopped and leaned back, I recognized the hunger in his eyes. It was the same one I felt. "John, I love you so much," I blurted out.

"Lisa, have sex with me."

The way he said it, it sounded like a simple request: for a wife to make love to her husband. But I knew it was way more than that.

"No, John, it's too dangerous. You don't understand."

"I don't care, Lisa, please."

I stood up, hugging myself tight. "John, no, you don't understand."

I closed my eyes and felt him move to stand in front of me. He planted a kiss on my forehead. "I trust you, Lisa."

I started shaking my head, truly scared of what he was saying. "No, John. I don't trust myself, don't you see!"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me into his chest. I could hear his heart pumping madly. The sound of his blood rushing was intoxicating. _Stop it!_ I scolded myself. "John, please," I whimpered softly.

But he wouldn't let go of me until I finally gave in. "But we have to be careful," I barely got out before his hands were moving to my belly.

"It's okay, Lisa. Just love me." And then he kissed me and I gave up fighting him, determined to focus only on keeping him safe now.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

The sun shinning on my back startled me out of my dreamy state. Pulling my head out of the clouds, I surveyed the scene around me. John lay entwined in the sheet, one of his legs hanging of the side of the bed. My head was on his chest and I sat up quickly. What had happened?

And then everything came rushing back. John and I had made love last night. Panic flooded over and me and I quickly but carefully moved to examine his body. Bruises were beginning to bloom up all over his skin. I bit down hard on my lip in frustration. I had been so focused on not hurting him, but apparently I had done a terrible job. At least he was still alive, I thought, thought that didn't really calm me. I listened to his heavy breathing for a few minutes before glancing at the clock. I would be making breakfast around this time, but getting up and doing that seemed so trivial in the light of what had happened last night. John and I had had sex!

I wanted to scream it to the world, but the danger that I had put John in was dampening the happiness I wanted to feel. This was such a big breakthrough for us, but I didn't want to let myself fully enjoy it because I never wanted to hurt him. Reasoning in my head, I thought that if I let myself enjoy it too much, I would want it all the more next time and not be able to keep my head straight.

I pushed myself off the bed, shaking it in my hurry. I grabbed John's shirt off the floor and pulled it on, almost ashamed of my near-nakedness. John murmured something and rolled over. Slowly his eyes parted.

He smiled goofily at me. "Hello, beautiful." His hand moved to wipe some drool from his cheek and he groaned out in pain. In horror, I sprang unto the bed and helped him turn so he was lying on his back. "Oh my gosh, John, are you okay?"

He laughed. "Yeah, just sore is all. Quiet worrying."

I shook my head, hugging myself tight. "I was so worried that maybe I'd broken something."

He carefully moved all his limbs for me to prove he was intact. "Just bruises, which will heal in no time."

He rolled his head around on the pillow so he was looking at me. He laughed out loud. "Boy, that was great!" he nearly shouted.

"Shh!" I warned him, but I began to giggle. It had been amazing. "Better than the first time?"

He sat up slowly, nodding. "Ten times better."

I let out an unneeded sigh. Happiness bubbled up inside me.

"You want to do it again," John asked me as he playfully pulled me down on top of him.

"John!" I scolded him, but I couldn't help laughing.

His stomach began to growl just then, so I sat up. "Sounds like you need food. I think I could use some… nourishment myself."

John didn't seem put out by my last comment. He sat up and pulled on a pair of sweats. He began to get up but I pushed him back down. "Let me bring you breakfast in bed."

He started to protest, but I insisted. "It's the least I can do."

He nodded and leaned back against the wall. "Okay."

As I stood to walk out of the room, he pulled on my hand. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

I nodded, laughing softly. "Thank you," I whispered back.

After John finished his breakfast, I put on clean clothes and walked over to the main house. Renesme met me at the door. "Hello, Nessie," I said, mildly surprised.

"Dad… Edward told me you were coming," she greeted me. "They're going hunting, thought you might want go with."

"Who all is going?"

She looked around. "Well, everyone, I think." Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. For a half-human, she was still extremely strong. "Dad!" she yelled, walking into the living room.

Emmett sat lounging on the long sofa, playing some sort of high speed chase game, while Rosalie sat curled up next to him reading a magazine. At Nessie's shrill cry, Emmett cringed and glanced at the slim girl through the corners of his eyes.

"Nessie," he growled softly. "Please. Inside voice. You know you can just think his name, right?"

She gave him a snobby look, sticking her tongue out at her uncle. She was about to say something witty when Edward glided down the stairs, followed by Bella.

"Hello, Lisa," he nodded to me.

"Hi. Hey, Bella."

Bella smiled at me, showing off her perfect teeth. I wondered for a moment if all vampires had perfect teeth or if she had always had them. A glint in Bella's eyes told me that Edward knew about John and I's little romp last night and had shared it with his bride. I saw Edward chuckle softly out of the corner of my eye. I blushed inwardly, but Bella just smiled at me.

"I assume that Nessie told you we're going hunting." I turned as Edward spoke.

I grinned, but Rosalie stole the words out of my mouth. Glancing over the top of her magazine, she rolled her eyes. "No need for you to assume, Eddie. Don't rub your talent in our faces, please."

Edward ignored her, turning to me. "Everyone is going. You haven't gone in a while, you should probably come with us."

I nodded in agreement, but asked my question before anyone else could say anything more. "But who will stay with John?"

Just then, one of the worst smells that a vampire could ever encounter wafted into the room. The front door burst open, and there in all his half-naked splendor stood Jacob Black.

I gagged silently, wishing I could have grown used to the scent by now, but it was as strong as it had been the first time I'd smelled it.

Nessie nearly flew into the wolf's arms. I heard her whisper something into his ear, to which he responded by laughing loudly, fully knowing all eyes were on them. Again Rose rolled her eyes, shutting her magazine in frustration.

"Shut it, wolf boy," she growled slowly.

But Jacob paid no attention to her. His full attention was on Renesme. Had I not understood their relationship, I might have been creeped out by the way the man stared at the woman like she was an angel. Well, no one could deny the girl was beautiful, but the love flowing from those two was like a waterfall of honey.

I turned to Edward, still wanting an answer to my question.

"Jacob and Nessie will be staying here. Hopefully they can make sure John is okay and not sit on the couch ogling each other all day."

Nessie looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Of course, Daddy. We're not as reckless as all that."

Jacob picked her up smoothly and placed her on the couch. "Where is the man anyways?"

I punched him in the arm. "His name is John. Please treat him like a human being."

Jacob looked at me, his eyes sparkling with humor. "He still is one, isn't he?"

I decided responding would only egg him on, so I stood completely still, a blank expression on my face.

Jacob pretended to shiver. "Okay, chillax. He'll be perfectly safe."

"Alright, then. Let's get going," Edward said.

I heard Esme's laughter from somewhere in the house and then I saw Carlisle's head pop out from the top of the stairs. "Everyone is going, Edward?"

In a few seconds, Carlisle and Esme were standing at the bottom of the stairs, hand in hand.

"Yes, everyone. Jacob and Renesme will stay here with John."

"Good idea," replied Carlisle, glancing at Jacob. "I trust you will behave yourself with my granddaughter."

"Chill, Carlisle. I've got this all covered."

I told everyone I was going to tell John of our plans. As I was walking out, I heard Jacob make some witty remark and heard the sound of a magazine hitting skin. Apparently Jacob had once again pushed Rose to her limits. I chuckled to myself.

With a knock on the bathroom door, I told John that all the Cullens were leaving to go hunting along with me and that Jacob and Nessie would stay here. He came out dressed in jeans and shirt.

"Okay," he replied. Pulling me against his chest, he kissed me on the lips. "I'll miss you."

"Mm, me too." I returned the kiss.

He smiled and followed me back to the Cullens' house. Jacob greeted him enthusiastically.

"You ready for a crazy, fun-filled day?"

"Jacob, please don't give my husband a heart-attack."

"Gosh, you vampies are so uptight sometimes."

"It's because we have better things to worry about than some wolf," Emmett retorted. I glanced at John, but he was ignoring the bantering going on.

"Okay, kids," Alice said jokingly, "let's pack up the comedy act and get moving."

No one needed any more encouragement. Jacob moved into his permanent spot next to Nessie, John picking up Emmett's controller and choosing a seat a little bit away from the two-love birds. I was glad no one had ever told him the true nature of their relationship and the fact that Jacob was a werewolf. With one last glance at my husband, I followed everyone else as they filed out the door. We broke into a full run the second the door was shut.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

The sound of car doors slamming shut reached my ears when we were still miles from the house. We had gone to a place about two hours away by car, spending a few hours until everyone was full.

Alice glanced at me with a knowing look in her eyes. I ran to catch up to her and tried to grab at her hand to see what she'd seen. She pulled it away from me, laughing.

"No way, Lisa. That wouldn't be fair."

I groaned. Maybe I could –

"And don't try getting to Edward so you can read my thoughts either. I'll just think about everything else."

Again, she had read my mind. Sometimes I wondered if she wasn't only psychic but also a mind reader like Edward. I sped up slightly, falling in just behind Edward and Bella, the power-runners.

Finally we reached the woods around the house.

_Where is he, Edward?_

He glanced back at me, grinning from ear to ear.

_Don't play games with me!_

He laughed out loud.

_Edward!_

His head moved less than a fraction of an inch to the left, and I split off from the group, flying to our cabin. Before I reached the door, I slid to a stop and fixed my hair, trying to look like nothing was bothering me. I pulled open the door to the cabin. With one look around the empty room, I decided John was probably in the bedroom. I tapped lightly on the half-closed door, which swung open when I touched it.

John looked up, surprise on his face. Quickly, he pulled his hands behind his back. "Hey, I didn't hear you come in."

Pretending I hadn't seen him hiding the small box in his hands, I smiled at him. "Sorry, I'm used to being heard before I even make a sound." An awkward pause made me want to slap myself. That probably wasn't the smartest thing that had ever left my mouth. Quickly I moved on. "How was your day with Jacob and Nessie?"

He smiled, glad the pause was over. "Great. Jacob's a cool guy."

I could tell he was stalling. "Yeah, he is, once you get past the cockiness and constant joking."

John laughed softly. "Yeah."

I crossed my arms slowly. "What did you do?"

He shrugged and didn't respond for what seemed like an eternity to me. Finally, he gave in. Standing up, he walked over to me, pushing the little box he had been holding behind his back into one of my hands. Uncrossing my arms, I closed both my hands around the blue velvet square.

"Jacob and Nessie took me to Port Angeles." He paused for a second before continuing, looking into my eyes. "I thought I should get you something, kind of like a thank you gift."

I sat down on the bed, looking down at the box in my hands. The dark blue made my pale skin look almost white. "Thank you for what?"

Another pause, then a sigh. John sat next to me on the bed, clasping his hands together. He seemed slightly uncomfortable. "Lisa, I've been rotten to you ever since you came and got me out of that bar."

I began to object, but he grabbed my hand in both of his, silencing me. "No, don't say it's not true, because I know it is. There has been no excuse for me to act this way towards you."

"Well," I said quietly, "it's not everyday you find out your wife has been transformed into a mythical creature."

He shook his head. "No-"

But I interrupted him again. "John, there's no need to apologize. I really truly understand, and so does everyone else."

"Lisa, please. I don't care if you think I had a good excuse or not. You're my wife, and when I married you I promised to love you no matter what." His eyes landed on the two silver rings on my left hand. I saw a tear leave his eyes and watched as it traveled down, finally finding a landing place on my palm. We didn't move, and the silence stretched on for a long time.

"Lisa, you've been wonderful to me. I don't deserve it all."

I nearly opened my mouth to object before thinking better of it. John's eyes moved up to my face again, and the sadness in his eyes nearly blew me away. "I love you, Allisa. Thank you for saving me, for being strong for both of us." Then in a whisper, "I promise to be a better husband."

I didn't what to make of what was happening. The sudden display of affection, ever since last night, was almost overwhelming. I had grown to accept that John was comfortable with where we were. I knew he had formed a sort of block in his mind so he wouldn't have to think about what I and the Cullens actually were, and thought he would never want to step out of his comfort zone and embrace who I was now. I glanced down slowly at the jewelry box. My hands were shaking now, which I thought was impossible. I was afraid to move for fear that I would wake up and find everything was just a dream.

Carefully, I opened the box. With a soft pop, the lid was up, displaying the satin lining and the glint of a silver chain. A gasp escaped my lips.

"Renesme picked it out and paid for it." But I barely heard him. With a shaking finger, I fingered the design made off silver and sparkling diamonds. A large heart circled around a smaller heart hung from a small chain. John moved to take the necklace out of the box and put it around my neck. Pulling up my thick curly hair, he clasped the chain around my neck. My marble fingers caressed the cold metal and stones. "It's gorgeous, John." I turned to him and he pulled me into an embrace. I closed my eyes and let his skin warm mine. I prayed that this wasn't a dream.

When I opened my eyes, relief flooded over me. The necklace was really around my neck and John was really holding me.

"John," I whispered. But I couldn't find any words.

"I know," is all he said, and it was like we understood each other better in that moment than we had in our entire relationship.


	5. Chapter 5

5.

"That's great, Lisa," Alice said softly.

We were sitting in Alice's room. She was stretched out on her bed, while I sat on the edge, playing nervously with my hair. I had debated telling anyone what had happened for a full day and a half now, before finally caving in and telling Alice. I guessed from her reaction that she had seen that something had happened in her visions, but it felt good to share it with someone.

"Is it? I don't know, Alice." I asked her worriedly.

"Yes, Lisa, it is. First of all, you did it without majorly hurting anyone. Edward gave Bella a few bruises too, and I would say he did a lot worse than you, but the point is, he's been a vampire for a lot longer. You've only been at this for four years. You've done amazing, Lisa. Your ability to control yourself so well in such a highly emotional state… it's quite amazing." She grasped my hand and smiled. "And second, this is what you've wanted for a long time, isn't it? To be loved by your husband."

I laughed, though there wasn't any true feeling behind it. "Yeah."

"And the necklace proves to me that it wasn't just a one-night thing for him. He wants to continue this with you."

"Yeah?"

She nodded.

We were silent for a few moments, until I broke the silence. "I still can't believe we… did it."

Alice laughed. "You can say 'sex', Lisa." When I didn't respond, she sat up and hugged me. "You deserve this, Lisa. You deserve to be loved."

I looked into her brown eyes and let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah," I mumbled. I wasn't entirely convinced that that was true.

"Hey, chin up, girl! You just did it with your husband!"

Maybe she was right. I should be happy about this. "Okay." I smiled, hoping to convince her I believed it. I saw it didn't.

Alice took one of my hands in both of hers. "You're one step closer to what you truly want now, Lisa."

I shook my head. "Alice, don't speak like that."

She gave me a look that suggested she could read my mind. "Sure, it's terrible wishing this kind of life upon someone you love. But Lisa, you can't deny that you want him to want to be with you… forever."

I bit my lip again, not knowing how to respond. She was absolutely right, but I couldn't admit it. I didn't want to wish this life upon John unless he wanted it as much as I wanted him.

Alice hugged me one more time, then stood and pranced around. "Shall we celebrate?" she asked cheerfully.

"Alice!" I exclaimed, but I couldn't help but laugh. I knew it was the only thing that would get my mind off everything and help me relax. Maybe later I would think things through.

We were halfway down the stairs when Alice stopped dead in her tracks. If it weren't for my lightning fast reflexes, I would have crashed into her.

"Alice? What is it?"

A glance at her face told me she was seeing something that was going to happen. Quickly, I grabbed her hand. Darkness enveloped me. I realized I was in the forest outside the house. Suddenly, a wave of nausea sank over me. A man stepped out of the shadows and seemed to be examining the house. And then the vision was gone and I was standing next to Alice, inside the house, still holding her hand tightly.

I gasped, though it wasn't necessary. "What was that?"

Alice shook her head in astonishment. "I'm not sure, Lisa, but Edwa-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Edward was standing at the bottom of the landing. "Alice?"

We said nothing as Edward read Alice's mind. When Edward shook his head, I knew he had seen it all.

"What do you think?"

He glanced at me and then back at Alice. "Bree."

She shook her head in confusion. "What about Bree? It was a man I saw, Edward."

He ignored her question. "Where's Carlisle?"

"Right here." Carlisle's voice carried through the hall and I saw him step out of his office. "What is it, Edward?"

Edward quietly told Carlisle about the vision and something about this Bree he had mentioned.

I stared in confusion from Carlisle to Edward, wondering if anyone would ever tell me what was going on.

After a few more minutes of quiet discussion, Edward turned to me. "We're all going to meet downstairs. Will you walk with me?"

I nodded and joined him, watching Alice and Carlisle file past us down the stairs to the living room.

"Bree Tanner, her name was."

"Was?"

"Yeah, she was one of the newborn vampires that we killed in the meadow."

I recalled what Alice had told me about that day, the vampire army of newborns that Victoria had created to get revenge on Edward for killing her mate James. "Okay?"

"She spoke to me before the Volturi killed her."

"Mentally?"

"Yes," he replied, his voice grave. "She told me about a friend of hers named Fred. He was the only one who had not been fooled by Riley's claims about us and had fled the night before the battle. She made me promise that if he ever came across us that we would be kind to him."

"How do you know it's him, though?"

He glanced at me. "You felt the repulsion while you were watching Alice's vision?"

I nodded.

"Bree told me that Fred had a special power. He was able to repulse people away from him by creating a putrid smell. She told me people couldn't even look at him."

"So you think the repulsion we felt was caused by this Fred?"

His head bobbed in reply. We were nearly down the stairs now, having walked much slower than everyone else. "He's coming here."

I mulled that over in my mind. Suddenly, panic overtook me. "What about John?"

_If Fred isn't like us, will he smell John and kill him?_

Edward looked at me, following my train of thought. "I don't know."

"Can you get a read on him?"

Edward stopped, concentrating. "He's too far away right now. In Alice's vision, it was pitch black outside when he came."

I glanced out the window. The sun was setting, painting the sky with red and purple. I glanced at Edward and noticed he was thinking. I placed my hand on his arm.

… _will take him away. The clan can protect him._

Edward glanced at me. _Jacob._

I nodded, understanding immediately. _If John is at the reservation with all the wolves, he'll be safe._

"Let's go."

We ran down the rest of the stairs. Everyone else was already seated in various places around the living room. Nessie was nowhere to be seen, probably out with Jacob somewhere.

Carlisle turned as Edward and I slid into the room. "Hello. Did you catch Lisa up?"

Edward nodded, turning to everyone, but still speaking to Carlisle, "Did you tell everyone about the vision?"

"Yes, I gave them your thoughts on the matter."

I joined Alice and Bella on the couch. Alice squeezed my hand and Bella gave me an encouraging smile.

"Alice, have you been able to pin down a time?"

"No. There's nothing to indicate what time it is, or even what day, though I'm assuming it's tonight."

Emmett. "His smell will probably warn us when he's getting close."

Edward nodded. "We have no idea how dangerous this guy is, though Bree seemed to think he was harmless, keeping to himself. But just incase, I'll call Jacob and ask him to take John down to the res."

"Good plan, son. If he proves harmless, we will let him stay if he chooses."

"Carlisle." It was Bella. "Are you certain?"

Carlisle mulled it over. "You're right, Bella. We'll talk it over once he actually gets here. According to Bree's description of his character, he may not even want to stay."

Bella nodded, smiling softly at Edward, who winked at her.

"Bella, will you call Jacob, please? Tell him we'll be having a visitor and that for his safety, we would like John to stay the night at the reservation."

"Of course, Carlisle."

"Wait," I spoke up. "I'm not sure if John will be comfortable leaving, and he'll be suspicious as to why we're sending him away."

"She's right, Carlisle."

"Have the wolves come here," suggested Emmett, to which Rosalie responded with a disgusted noise. Emmett glanced at her and whispered something in her ear. She shrugged. "Maybe we won't smell the wolves with this Fred guy around."

"Hopefully Fred won't smell worse," muttered Jasper. Emmett chuckled, to which Rose responded with a punch in the arm.

"Ow, babe." But they were both smiling.

"Alright. Bella, can you call Jacob now?"

Bella pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. As it rang, she moved into the kitchen. Her voice was slightly muffled as she spoke into the phone. "Hey, Jake." Then a pause and light laughter. "Listen, I need a favor."

I tuned her out and focused on Alice. "Have you seen anything else," I asked her softly. She shook her head. "He's keeping a low profile, constantly covered by this aura of his."

"Is he alone?" Edward spoke up.

"I don't know. Like I said, I can't see anything past the shield."

Emmett tossed something in Edward's direction. "Aren't you glad Bella's shield doesn't smell?"

"Maybe it does." Jasper replied for Edward. "Maybe it just smells really good."

Edward glanced at Jasper.

"I think everyone is in agreement that your wife smells nice," muttered Jasper.

"Edward, leave Jasper alone."

A smile crept unto Edward's face and he winked at Alice. "No worries, sis. I was just messing with your man."

Alice stood and punched Edward lightly in the arm. With a grin, she said, "Well, don't."

Bella returned just then, stuffing the phone into her back pocket. "They're coming."

"They?"

"Yeah. Jake, Seth, and Embry."

Rose groaned. "This Fred guy better have a really _strong___aroma."

"How soon?" asked Edward as he wrapped an arm around Bella's waist. "Ten minutes, tops. They won't bother anybody."

I stood, seeing that the discussion was over. "I should go make him some dinner. I'll be back in an hour. Call me if anything comes up."

Alice nodded and I walked out the door, scanning the woods anxiously. It was not completely dark yet, the sun shinning a slice of light unto the trees. I knew I was being a bit paranoid, but just to ease myself, I took a whiff of the air. Oxygen, beetles and ants, and trees; no putrid odor.

"Good," I said to myself.

John had come back to the cabin around 4 to take a nap, saying he had a slight headache. I found him lying on the couch, watching re-runs. I walked up to him, putting my hand against his forehead. "You okay, babe?"

He looked up at me. "Yeah, I think I was just tired."

"Okay," I said. I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

In the middle of making dinner, a wet-dog smell filled my nostrils. _The wolves are here. _A small feeling of relief rushed over me, though my stomach still felt tight with anticipation and the unknown.

I pulled the wet noodles off the hot plate and strained them in the sink. "Hey babe," I called out to the living room.

"Huh?" came back his muffled voice. He must have had his head buried in a pillow.

"Alice and I are doing something," I said, biting my lip, hating to lie to him. "Can you make yourself a plate and clean up after? If you're up to it," I added.

"Yeah," he said, his voice clearer now. "Thanks for dinner." His head popped around the corner. "You girls okay?"

I smiled, looking down at my hands as I dried them on a towel, hoping he wouldn't notice the strain on my face. Instead of answering, I asked, "You going to stay here tonight? Rest a little, maybe?" I glanced up at him.

"Yeah," he said, stretching. "I think I might head to bed early tonight." I wondered if that would really happen or if he would figure out there was something more going on.

"Okay," I said, smiling brightly at him, hoping I wasn't giving off any anxious vibes. I was glad he was willingly staying put and hoped he wouldn't ask anything else about what Alice and I would be doing tonight. I kissed him as I passed him by. "Gotta go. I'll see you later, love. 'Kay?"

"Mmhmm," he said, heading towards the dish cabinet.

The minute the door closed behind me, Jacob was next to me. I let out a small sigh or relief.

"You won't have to worry about him leaving," I said.

"Good," he said with a nod. He was watching my face, and I knew he could see the worry in my eyes. "He'll be fine."

"Thanks," was all I said before I headed back to the house. But he was already gone.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Back in the Cullens' living room, I had my head laid back against a pillow as Alice unconsciously massaged my hand. We were simply waiting now. Every lamp in the house was on. Though the light wasn't necessary to us, we had turned them all on to tell Fred we were here.

Edward sat at his piano, playing a part of a song, stopping, and then starting another song. I watched Bella and Renesme sitting together; Nessie had her head in Bella's lap and while her mother absentmindedly combed her blond hair with her fingers. I wondered what I would have done if I found out my baby girl was in love with a werewolf. How would I have reacted? I probably would have attacked Jacob, too. I smiled to myself, remembering the picture Nessie had showed me of Bella punching Jacob. The music stopped and I glanced over at Edward; a small smile had crept up on his face and I realized he must have been listening to my thoughts. John would have probably also thought the man deserved it.

I glanced back at Bella and Nessie. Her breathing had grown slower and deeper and I knew she was asleep. I wondered if living with vampires and having a werewolf boyfriend was tiring.

I looked around the room, all the couples sitting together. Rose was curled up in Emmett's arms, Carlisle and Esme were holding hands, once in a while exchanging a glance that I could not read. Alice sat on the sofa next to Jasper, who was softly rubbing her back, while Alice had her eyes closed, trying to concentrate and see something new.

No one said a word; except for the piano and Renesme's breathing, it was deadly silent.

We sat like that for nearly three hours, not moving, no sound except the piano. At fourteen minutes past ten, the door slowly opened and Jacob's smell filled the room. He stalked in softly, examining the occupants of the room and measuring the silence. He must have realized we were not in the mood for jokes. His eyes moved the where Renesme lay, her head still on Bella's lap, sleeping peacefully. A soft smile spread across his lips before he turned to Alice and his face became serious. He didn't need to say a word; everyone knew why he was here.

"Nothing new," responded Jasper. Alice shook her head to confirm this.

Jacob huffed softly, sounding very much like a dog, and moved over to Bella. He whispered something in her ear. I caught a few words, like Nessie's name and "bed". Bella nodded and Jacob moved back towards the door, turning back before opening it. He was looking at me, an expression on his face that I could easily read: he wanted to tell me something but wasn't sure if he should. I hurried over to him.

"Tell me," I muttered. He looked me over, thinking.

"John won't sleep. I think he can sense…" he paused and glanced around the room. Everyone was avoiding eye contact with us, though I knew they were all listening. "I think he knows something's going to go down."

I wrung my hands together anxiously and nodded.

"Maybe you could come and set his mind at ease a little?" he suggested.

I glanced back at Carlisle, who nodded at me. Turning back to Jacob, I let out an "okay". I followed him out the house and to the cabin. The air outside felt heavy.

"John?" I said into the dark cabin. I saw him shuffle along the room and then a light came on.

He said nothing as I approached him. I could see that his expression was guarded, as if he was trying to hide his fear from me. "Hey, babe," I whispered softly. I pulled him into a hug and could feel his body shaking. "John, you should try to get some rest." He was sweating, though I wasn't sure if it was from feeling sick or scared; maybe both.

"I can't, Lisa. I know." He looked at my face, trying to find something to tell him his suspicions were right. "I know something is going to happen. That's why Jacob and his friends are here." The last phrase was almost a question.

I didn't say anything.

"Are we going to be attacked by wolves or something?"

The irony of that almost made me smile, but I held it in, keeping a straight face. "No, why?"

"I hear them, outside. They're not howling, just walking and growling and stuff."

I rubbed John's arm. "Don't worry about it. They come around a lot."

John sank down on the bed and pulled me down with him. "Please, tell me what's going to happen."

I bit my lip and looked around the room as I thought about whether I should tell him or not. He was already freaked out as it was, and he would know if I was lying.

"Someone is coming in tonight. A friend," I lied, though it was only a half-lie. He was a friend of someone the Cullens had known.

"Like you?" John's breathing was shallow and I could smell the sweat on him.

"Yes. But not exactly like us."

"I don't understand?"

"He doesn't follow our… eating rules."

"You mean, he's a killer, a real vampire."

I nodded. "We're afraid he might hurt you, so you need to stay here and be safe. Jacob and his friends are just outside and they'll protect you, okay?" I rubbed my hand across his forehead and then through his hair. "Go to bed, babe."

Reluctantly, John laid his head against the pillow. "I'm just worried about you," he whispered. I knew it was entirely true, I could see that on his face. Of course he didn't want to die; it was a natural human reaction; but he was more concerned about me than about himself. He knew what living without me did to him. Over the past four years, I had forgotten what it felt like to worry about my own life.

"I'll be fine, John. I'm with all the Cullens."

He nodded and I sat with him, humming softly, until his eyelids slowly slid closed and his breathing deepened. I slowly pulled my fingers from his hand and moved outside. Jacob caught my eye.

"He's asleep," I assured him.

He moved towards me, though he was watching his surroundings, not looking at me. "I'll see if Alice has anything new for us, save you guys the trip out here later." I nodded and he followed me back to the house. The minute we walked in, I noticed that all eyes were not on Jacob and I, but on the small figure sitting on the couch. The silence in the room was still heavy, but different than before. I noticed Renesme was gone; she had probably moved upstairs to bed. It still shocked me sometimes that anyone in this house needed sleep. On the couch, Alice had gone completely still. Edward turned away from the piano, the last note falling into silence. Something was happening.

"Alice?" Esme asked carefully. I scooted over to the couch and took Alice's hand in mine. Darkness again engulfed me, just like before. But this time, the odor was ten times worse. If I had anything in my stomach, it would be out. Instead, I just gagged on dry air.

The figure I had seen before was standing next to a pillar of a tree, absolutely still and silent, like only a vampire could be. The only thing that moved was his eyes, which flashed white and red in the pale moonlight. He was scanning the area, scanning the house.

I didn't understand what was new about this vision. There was still no indication as to what time the man would arrive. And then I heard it, soft and quiet, nearly silent. But it was there: a giant bell was ringing, once, twice. Twelve times it rang, and then all was silent.

I could hear words coming out of Alice's mouth the minute the last chime was heard. I pulled myself out of Alice's head and focused on the people around the room.

"Carlisle?" It was Bella who spoke. Her voice sounded thin with anxiety. I knew she wasn't worried about herself; she could protect herself with her shield. She was worried about me, about John. This fact gave me some comfort. If I had ever doubted that the Cullens would do everything in their power to protect John and I, it was gone now.

Carlisle was shaking his head. "I don't know, Bella. All we can do is wait. From what Alice said, he appears to be alone and not wanting to hurt anyone."

"But we should probably prepare ourselves for a confrontation nonetheless," said Jacob. I had forgotten he was in the room. Everyone glanced at him in surprise; apparently no one had noticed him come in with me. The first to recover from the small surprise, Carlisle nodded in agreement to what Jacob had said.

"For once, the wolf is right," muttered Rose unhappily, though I'm sure she wasn't so concerned about the wolf in the house as the vampire that was soon to be outside the house.

Jasper spoke up. "I'll keep his emotions under check as best as I can, but with this shield of his, I'm not sure if I'll even be able to read him."

"Bree said the only one who could even look at him was her, right?"

Edward nodded in reply to Emmett's question. "And she could only stand to be around him because he took his shield down for her. He let her in."

"He probably won't let us in until he feels he can trust us," Esme whispered.

"Twelve, then," said Jacob before disappearing out the door. Before the door closed behind him, the sound of rain falling hit my ears. I turned my head in surprise. I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the rain. As I thought about it, I realized it had been raining in Alice's vision.

Silence again filled the room. Glancing at the kitchen clock, I noted the time. We still had an hour left of time to wait. Emmett seemed to realize the same thing; with a sigh, he broke the silence.

"Well, all this tension is killing me here," and with that he flipped on the TV. The volume was set at the lowest setting possible, like it always was, but the sound coming from the speakers felt like it could have woken up the dead. I jerked my head towards the huge flat screen in surprise, feeling like I was in a completely different universe. Everything happening around me was registering slower than it should. I felt like a human again for a few moments.

I had to move, I realized. I stood up off the couch and walked towards the bookshelf that sat on the westward wall. I picked out a romance novel and sat down with it in the loveseat.

I was pulled out of the world of Lauren and her one true love Nicholas when a smell I recognized found its way to my nose. I looked up and glanced around at the Cullens'. Everyone had picked something to take their mind of the situation and relaxed. But now that the smell was floating through the room, they were alert once more. Bella glanced at the clock.

"Twenty minutes to go."

With every second that passed, the smell got more intense.

"He's moving fast," remarked Carlisle.

I heard a bell begin ringing far away. I put down the novel I was still holding and counted the number of peals. Twelve; it was time.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

"Should we go outside and meet him?" I suggested. The putrid odor was now so strong that we all knew Fred had to be right outside. None of us took a breath.

Alice shook her head and stood. "He'll come to us."

Another ten minutes passed before there was a soft knock on the front door. It was so light, I knew he intended it to only be heard by vampire ears. Carlisle moved towards the door and opened it slowly.

"Come in," he said kindly as we all rose out of our seats to greet our guest.

The man who stood before us surprised me. He had let his guard down enough so that we could look at him. He stood tall, around 6'2", I would guess. A mess of curls lay thick upon his head, followed by piercing red eyes that slowly took in every single person in the room. And he was quite handsome.

The voice that came out of his mouth was deep and gravely. Had he not spoken, I would have guessed him to be about 17 or 18, but he sounded a lot older.

"Hello."

Carlisle and Esme were the only ones who responded. Everyone else stood perfectly still, examining the stranger. Esme stepped forward and stuck her hand out towards the tall blonde. "Hello Fred, I'm Esme Cullen, and this is my husband, Carlisle." She placed her hand on his arm when she introduced him. "Bree said you might be coming."

A slight twitch in his facial muscles told me more about the relationship he had with Bree than anything else. They had been close; he was one of the only ones she'd trusted.

After a moment of silence, his eyes had moved around the room once more and returned to Esme. "So, you know who I am."

"Yes," Carlisle said. "We tried to save Bree in the meadow. She didn't want to kill us. But we couldn't save her."

"The Volturi," Fred whispered, and with his anger his odor grew worse.

Carlisle showed no signs that he noticed the increase in Fred's shield. "So, you've heard of them, then."

Fred glanced around the room. "Yes," he replied casually. Silence took over again before one by one, starting with Edward, everyone else introduced themselves. I was last in line.

"Lisa."

"You weren't with the rest in the field." Something about the way he handled himself reminded me of a boy I had gone to high school with, a big computer geek. He noticed everything, calculating what it could mean, without sounding like he knew everything. He was humble in his knowledge.

I looked around at everyone else and noticed they were all watching Fred and I. "No," I said in a soft voice. "I'm new," I added.

His eyes fell down to my hands and then flew back up to my face. "You're married."

I opened my mouth in surprise, unsure of how to respond, but Fred had already moved on.

"You all look like you've been waiting for me for a while." His eyes fell to the novel I had been reading. "Terrible book." _No one would read it unless they were trying to keep their mind off something_, he seemed to be thinking. It was scary how perceptive he was.

"So which one can see the future?" His question took us all off guard a little, which seemed to amuse him. "Riley told us a few things about you."

"That we would get inside your mind," added Edward.

Fred looked at him. "You must be the mind reader."

Edward nodded in reply, though I wasn't sure if it was to his spoken question or a mental one.

Fred's eyes moved to the window. "I've heard stories about these dog friends of yours." Then he was watching us again. "Do you always keep them around?"

Something told me he already knew the answer to that question and the reason why they were here.

"They're our friends," said Emmett. He was eyeing Fred, waiting for him to attack us all or something. "Like you said."

"They smell terrible." His eyes fell on my hands again, which I hid behind my back. "Your husband isn't one of us, is he?" It was really beginning to unnerve me how much this guy could read about us. "I won't bite him."

I bit my lip and clasped my hands behind my back anxiously.

Carlisle cleared his throat and held out his arm towards the couch. "Have a seat."

Fred complied, and everyone else took his lead, finding a place to sit. I sank back into the love chair and Alice sat beside me, Jasper taking up a spot standing behind us. He put his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down. Immediately I felt a wave of nervousness and fear hit me, but it wasn't my own. I realized that it was Fred. With everything in him, he was holding on to his control. And then I felt myself calming down, though I wasn't sure if it was because of Jasper or because of Fred's feelings. I thanked Jasper softly anyways.

Carlisle spoke up again once everyone had found a place. "You know a lot about us, but we don't know that much about you. Tell us, why did you decide to come? Why now?"

Fred clasped his hands and rubbed them together. "I wanted to come for a long time. I just got caught up in some things."

Emmett's foot began tapping against the floor, showing his impatience. With Jasper's hand still on my shoulder, I felt a tiny break in Fred's control. I shot a glance at Emmett, telling him to quiet it.

"I was stupid. I wanted to tell my parents I was all right, to let them know I was alive. They were looking for me and I needed them to stop." His hands began shaking slightly.

"You couldn't have them find you like this," whispered Bella.

Fred shook his head. "I wrote a letter and went to a street corner to put it in a mailbox. What I didn't know was that the police had been tipped off about a drug deal that was going to happen on that street corner. There was an undercover cop car waiting; I recognized the officer behind the wheel and began running. So he chased me, thinking I was one of the drug dealers. I lost him easily, but the next day, my picture was everywhere. So I laid low for a while until I thought it was safe to get out. At least my parents stopped looking for me after that."

His eyes had moved to his hands while he was talking. We all sat silently for a long time, before Fred finally regained some control and looked up. "I came here to start a new life. You are the only other ones of our kind that I knew of."

"Well, you're welcome here, Fred," spoke Esme, compassion rich in her voice.

Emmett shot a glance at his mother. "Esme," he whispered fiercely.

She glanced at him. "Emmett, this boy is no danger to us. He's scared."

Emmett didn't seem convinced, but he let it slide.

"I don't want to impose-" Fred began, but he stopped when he saw Carlisle moving towards him.

"You're welcome to stay with us as long as you need, Fred. We'll clean up a room for you."

"No," he said. "I mean, that's alright. We can stay in the woods."

"We?" asked Emmett. His defenses were up again.

Fred glanced at him nervously. "Well, I met a girl while I was traveling down here. She said she wanted to come with me to meet you all." His eyes landed on Alice for a split second before he was looking back at Carlisle. He stood up. "Thank you for your kindness, but I won't ask you to put up two-"

He was cut off by the sound of hinges creaking softly. Everyone looked towards the door as it slowly swung open. I guessed it was the girl Fred had told us about. She had apparently heard our conversation. Her eyes moved around the room until they finally landed on Alice. A smile spread slowly across her lips.

"Hello, Alice. I've been looking for you for a long time."


	8. Chapter 8

8.

Nobody moved. I could see the shock on everyone's face, including Alice's.

Finally Alice managed to say, "Do I know you?"

The girl began laughing softly. "No, I suppose not, Alice. But I know you."

Silence.

"Everything is a bit fuzzy before you became a vampire, isn't it?"

And it was like that line was the cue for everyone to start moving. Fred slipped out of the door unnoticed, probably running off into the night. Esme motioned to Edward, Bella, Emmett, and Rose to follow her and leave Alice alone. I went to leave with Jasper but Alice grabbed my hand, though I wasn't sure if it was because she wanted me to stay or because she needed support. As I was pulled into Alice's head, all I could see were images flying past at the speed of light. She was trying to see what was going to happen. I realized what scared her the most about this girl: she was a blind spot. Alice couldn't see her anywhere. I squeezed her small hand in between both of mine.

The girl made herself comfortable and I pulled Alice down softly into the couch. She glanced at me and then back at Alice, looking her up and down with a small smirk on her face. She pushed a strand of long black hair away from her tan face. "My name is Camila. I've been watching you for a long time, _chica_, from before you became a vampire. I heard people talking about you in that town you lived in and I had to come see for myself about the girl who could see the future."

Alice sat perfectly still. Her hand slowly became limp in my hand as she got over her shock.

"I'd been around for a long time, and I've found very few things in life _eso me emociona_ – that excite me. People with gifts, ahh, now that is _especial_." Camila closed her eyes, that same smile on her lips. When she opened them again, all the friendliness was gone. "When they locked you up in that place, claiming you were crazy… I snuck in a few times and saw what they did to you. It made me so _enojado_." I could hear the anger in her voice.

"I spoke to a man I knew, a vampire. He was a doctor, and I begged him to go into that – prison and save you. He barely got to you in time."

_James_, I thought.

"Apparently I wasn't the only one interested in people with _magia_, special abilities. That man, James," she hissed, "he wanted to kill you or claim you as his own or something _loco _like that. I could smell him coming, so I told that doctor he had to get you out right away and save you." She looked away for a moment before continuing. "James killed him, but luckily the man thought to hide you away before James found him." She glanced at Alice. "You know the rest. I followed you everywhere you went. I never understood it, but you never saw me coming."

Alice's mouth began moving slowly. We both leaned in to hear what she was saying. She cleared her throat and said louder, "You're my blind spot."

Camila shook her head. "You cannot see me, can you, _bella_?"

Alice shook her head, and I again I felt her trying hard to find anything in the future about this girl, but nothing was coming.

"I don't know how that is either." Camila shrugged.

We sat in a silence for a long time. Alice gave up trying to see anything and felt her thoughts move towards her past, trying to see anything that had happened to her. She sat up suddenly and pulled her hand out of mine, clasping them together as she leaned forward towards Camila. "Please, tell me what you know about my family, my life before. Anything."

Camila watched her carefully. "Your _familia_ was so beautiful. You and your sister got your looks from your mother. She looked a lot like you, actually. Here." Camila fished into the back pocket of her tattered jeans and pulled out a small crumpled photograph. She handed it to Alice, who carefully unfolded it. Five black and white faces were looking back at her. A woman sitting on a chair holding a little baby boy smiling softly caught my attention. It looked exactly like Alice might have looked had she grown to be 35.

Camila pointed to the woman I was looking at. "Your _madre_."

Two little girls stood side by side, holding hands. The oldest must have been Alice. Her finger moved towards her sister's face.

"Cynthia," Camila said softly in response to Alice's unspoken question. "She was a beautiful girl. She grew up and married your next-door neighbor. They had five beautiful babies." Alice looked up slowly. "She named one of them after you, _chica_. She missed you so much."

Folding the photograph, Alice stuck it into the pocket of her dress. "Thank you for this, Camila," she said softly.

The other girl's face softened. "Of course."

I was about to get up when Alice asked another question. "What happened to my mother and father?"

"Your mother went _loco_ after they took you away. She refused to eat and lay in bed all day. She died of influenza a few years later. Your father was killed in a hunting accident when he was 49."

Alice nodded.

"A lot of people missed you when you left, despite that fact that so many thought you were crazy in the head. You were engaged to a man named Francis Dupont. He committed suicide when they told him you had died."

I knew this was becoming too much for Alice. I stood and grabbed her hand. "Alright, I think that's enough for now." But Alice would not budge. Movement behind me caught my attention and I saw Esme coming in, moving fast towards us. As we tried to get Alice up, she tried to shake us off. "I'm fine, Bella!" she shouted.

"Honey, it's me and Lisa. Bella's not here."

Alice was shaking her head furiously, but finally we managed to pull her off the couch. Jasper met me at the stairs and pulled Alice, who had now gone silent, into his arms and carried her upstairs. Esme was speaking softly to Camila. When I turned around, I noticed Carlisle had joined his wife.

Camila was apologizing, though she sounded like someone trying to soothe a child, not really meaning it. "She needed to know."

Carlisle spoke up. "Yes, but maybe not all at once."

"Okay, I will leave."

Esme looked like she was unsure whether she should protest or not. But Camila was out the door before anyone could say otherwise. When I got to the door to close it, she was already gone.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Emmett thundered down the stairs the minute the door was closed. "What in the blazes was that, Carlisle?"

"Emmett, calm down, please!" cried Esme.

"My little sister is up there muttering away about a sister she never knew and some fiancée that's dead and you want me to _calm down_?"

"Emmett!" warned Carlisle.

Jasper came out on the stairs and leaned down. "Carlisle, I think you need to come look at her."

With one last warning glance at Emmett, Carlisle raced up the stairs. "She won't respond to me and she thinks she's with her old family. She keeps asking to see a Cynthia," I heard Jasper say before they went into Alice's room

Emmett was still steaming, and Esme suggested he go outside if he was going to punch things. But he never made it before ear-piercing howls broke through the air.

"John!" was my first reaction as I ran after Emmett and Esme towards the cabin. Camila stood in front of three huge wolves, her fingers extended like claws and growling. "Let me through, wolves!" she shrieked, to which the one I guessed was Jacob snarled.

"Hey, you –"

Camila turned before Emmett could finish his sentence. Her eyes flew wide in surprise and then rage as she spotted Emmett and I barreling towards her. She took off into the woods.

"Emmett, let her go!" yelled Esme. "She's not worth it, Emmett!"

Emmett reluctantly stopped a few feet from the cabin. I rushed towards the door. I stood in the doorway, surveying the scene. She hadn't gotten through. I turned to thank Jacob and his friends. Seth came and stood near me, muzzling my hand softly with his big wet nose. I rubbed his head. "You did good, Seth. Thank you."

But there was no time to rest. A sharp cry came from inside the house and Edward came hurling out the house. "Emmett! Esme! We need you! You too, Lisa!"

We made it up the stairs before another cry chilled my bones. Carlisle and Jasper was holding Alice back on the bed while she lay, thrashing about wildly, trying to claw free. When her face turned towards us, I noticed the scratch marks on her face and the wild expression in her eyes. Jasper cold barely hold on to his wife's arm, so Emmett stepped in and he helped Carlisle hold her down. Still she shrieked and cried.

"What happened, Carlisle?" Esme ran to her husband side and began stroking Alice's head, who pulled away from under her touch.

"She just went wild and started screaming. Something besides what that Camila girl told is setting her off."

"I can't calm her down," said Jasper in a strained voice. "She won't let me in."

I was still standing in the doorway, absolutely still, staring at the scene before me with huge eyes. "Blind spot," I whispered, mostly to myself.

"What's that, Lisa?" said Bella, who was standing the closest to me.

"Blind spot," I said louder. "This girl is a ghost. Alice couldn't see her coming or anything about her in the future. She was Alice's blind spot."

"That could have frustrated her, plus everything the girl told her."

"Come to think of it, I couldn't read the girl's thoughts," spoke Edward.

I walked towards the bed rapidly and sat down next to Alice. "Her hand, please, Emmett," I asked quietly.

He grabbed her forearm, letting her hand dangle. I took it in mine. A million images floated before me, flying back and forth.

"Alice," I said to her. "Alice, I know you can hear me." Her mind was trying to do four things at once: find Camila in the future, her family in the past, figure out a way to get free from us, and listen to me. Everything I saw was fogged, as if Alice had formed a wall to protect her mind.

"Edward, please." I heard him move towards the bed and he put his hand on my shoulder. Now I could not only see what Alice was thinking but also hear her voice mentally trying to process all the information her brain was going through. She couldn't process where she was and who was in the room with her but I could tell she recognized my voice.

Edward's hand tensed on my arm. He was probably getting a headache from everything going through his head, while I felt surprisingly calm.

"Alice, baby, I need you to do something for me." No response. "Alice."

Her head jerked towards me.

"Alice, let me in."

"N-n-n-"

"Yes, Alice. It's just me. I won't harm you; I can help you figure this out. Let me in."

Slowly the images became clearer as she broke down her wall.

"Good. Okay, first you need to forget about Camila. There's a reason why you can't see her or Edward can't read her, but it's not for you to figure out alone." No change in her thoughts. Squeezing Alice's hand, I whispered her voice harshly. Slowly she stopped trying to find Camila. "Good."

The next one would be tricky. "Alice, you need to stop trying to find your family in your head. Your memories were wiped because of all the shock treatments."

She tried making up for not thinking about Camila by trying to search harder for anything about her parents and fiancée. "No, Alice! Stop that!"

Her head slammed from side to side in a defiant 'no'. "Alice! You need to calm yourself down. You'll drive yourself crazy."

The minute I said that, I knew it was absolutely the worst thing I could have said. Her mind started recalling what she could about her time at the mental hospital. Suddenly, all I saw was white: white walls, white floor. Screaming filled my ears. Alice was inside the mental hospital in her mind.

"Not good, " I groaned.

Questions flew at me from the people around the room but I ignored them, focusing everything I had on Alice. The fog was beginning to come back between Alice and I.

"No, Alice! Let me in!"

The fog pulsed in anger.

"Aliiiice! Don't give in to it, Alice!"

The fog stopped, hovering where it was.

"Alice, come on, baby. Don't shut yourself out. There are people here who love you, who need you. Think of Jasper."

Again the fog wavered as Jasper's face floated in front of my eyes. "Good, Alice. Think about Jasper."

A gasp escaped Alice's lips and the fog was gone. "Okay, good, baby."

White walls again. Now I saw Alice moving around, scratching at the walls and floor, screaming. I could tell she was beginning to think she was back in that hole.

"Alice, get out of the room. Get out, now."

"Can't…"

"It's not real, Alice. You're just remembering."

"N-n-n-"

"She thinks it's real, Lisa," whispered Edward. I nodded.

"Alice, honey. You're in your room, in the house where you live with Esme and Carlisle and Jasper. You're not in the white room anymore."

The image faltered slightly, before coming back full-strength.

I glanced at Jasper. "Talk to her, ask her to come back."

He sank down by his wife's head and whispered softly in her ear. "Alice, love, it's me." I shook my head and he expanded. "It's Jasper. Baby, I need you to come back to me."

It was working. I could feel her subconscious trying to pull her out of the room. "Keep going."

"Alice, you belong here with me. You're safe, you're not in that hospital anymore."

Her lips split apart slowly and a sob escaped.

"Come on, Alice. Jasper needs you."

In her mind, I saw her get up off the floor and suddenly a door appeared. "Go out the door, Alice."

A shaking hand reached for the knob, pulling it open. "Keep going. Don't look back, Alice."

And finally she was out, the door shut behind her. "Okay," I whispered. "Good, Alice."

A gasp that I recognized as Edward cam from behind me as all the flying images from before buzzed back to life.

_I'm sorry, Edward._

_Keep going. I'm fine._

"Okay, Alice. Forget about the family you had before. You have a new family now, a family that needs you."

Another sob erupted from her throat as images of all the Cullens flew past her. "Yes, Alice, they need you."

She clenched her eyes shut and went completely still.

"What's wrong?" asked Jasper.

I shook my head. Alice's mind had gone blank.

A gasp, and then Alice's eyes parted in a flash.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

Alice tried to sit up. "Let her up," I told Emmett and Carlisle.

Slowly Alice sat up. Edward's hand left my shoulder as he stumbled backwards into Bella's arms. "Don't crowd her, give her some room."

Alice closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples. I put my hand up when Jasper tried to pull her up.

"What is it, Alice?"

She opened her eyes and focused them on my face. "Wha- I remember something."

We all looked at her expectantly.

"What is it, Alice," spoke Esme softly.

"I know why I can't see Camila." Silence. "I'd heard stories about her, I just never linked the two together. She is literally a ghost."

Confusion crossed everyone's face, including mine. I had my hand on her knee but I couldn't see where she was going. Jasper sat next to her and stroked her back. She leaned into his chest before continuing.

"I'd heard stories about a girl who had died and actually been brought back to life by being bitten."

Carlisle nodded in understanding. "I remember this from my time with the Volturi." He turned to us. "We speculated that her soul had already left her body by the time she was bitten. It was pulled back when the venom spread, but instead of being a real human, she was merely just a ghost of herself."

"She's invisible to everyone," mussed Edward.

Carlisle nodded. "The resurrecting of dead people with venom was forbidden after that. The Volturi didn't like people running around that they could not read or control."

"They never caught the girl?" asked Emmett.

"No. We couldn't track her. If anyone came across her, she was gone before we could get there."

"Do you think she's killable if she's a ghost?" Emmett had found his anger again. I could tell where his mind was going even without Edward: revenge.

"Emmett," warned Carlisle softly.

But he shrugged, acting innocent. "No worries."

"We shouldn't worry about her unless she comes back."

"She did," Esme said. She explained the scene we had come upon outside the house.

"John shouldn't be out in that cabin alone," spoke Carlisle. I nodded in agreement. He turned to me. "It's nearly dawn. Bring him in here to sleep, and tell Jacob and his friends to come in as well." Then, turning back to everyone else, he said with a smile, "And let's leave Alice and Jasper alone for a bit." Everyone headed to the door, leaving me to shut the door.

""I was so worried," I heard Jasper mutter.

"I would never leave you, Jasper. You know that," whispered Alice in response.

"Good job in there, Lisa." It was Carlisle. I noted that everyone else had disappeared.

I shrugged. "It's really nothing."

Putting his hand on my shoulder, he said, "Whatever you did back there saved Alice. You pulled her out. And I know it wasn't easy."

I clamped my hands together, recalling what had happened. "Actually, I felt very calm. Edward felt like his head going to explode from all the information, but it didn't really bother me."

"Hmm, interesting." Carlisle rubbed his chin. "Well, thank you anyways. You did great in there."

"I guess Edward really did see something in me that night at the hospital," I replied, but Carlisle was lost in his thoughts. I left him and went to bring John and the wolf boys inside.

The sight that met me inside the cabin stopped me in my tracks. My mind went blank as I tried to process what this meant. When my thoughts kicked back in, I turned around in a flash and searched for Jacob and his friends. They had heard me and they came running from out of the woods.

"Please, help me!" I ran around the cabin and into the woods. There was no sign of him anywhere, and no clues to tell me where he had gone.

I sped back to the house. Bursting through the door, everyone looked up at me as I shouted, "John! He's gone!"


	11. Chapter 11

11.

"Lisa, what's wrong?" Carlisle asked as he hurried down the stairs.

"John is gone. He's not in the cabin. I searched the woods but there's not even a trace of him. He's disappeared!"

Emmett jumped up out of his seat. "That girl did it! The ghost. I swear I will crush her!"

"Emmett! Watch yourself. Let's put all that energy into finding John."

The next few moments passed by in a blur. People were shouting back and forth.

"Alice, can you see anything?"

"Where's Bella?"

"Rosalie, help me pack the backpacks."

"Alice, are you alright to go?"

"No, mom, I'm coming with you!"

"This is all my fault. If only I'd stayed around the cabin."

And then we were all piling out the door. Embry ran ahead of us, Jacob and Seth behind, panting. I was moving without thinking as Alice pulled me along with her.

"Where are we going, Alice?" somebody shouted.

"I don't know. I can't see a thing. We're going to have to follow his scent trail."

A t-shirt that belonged to John was passed around. Bella pushed it into my hand and I slammed it into my face, taking in his scent and letting it penetrate the fog I was in. My mind began racing and soon I was back to normal as we raced along through the forest. Once in a while, one of us would stop to examine a broken twig or footprint, but there was nothing that told us where Camila could have taken John.

"Oh God, please let him not be dead," I whispered to myself. Alice took my hand and threw me a supportive look.

"We'll find him, Lisa, alive."

I didn't respond for a while. Finally, I asked her how she was feeling.

"You mean, about the whole thing that happened at the house?"

I nodded, glancing at her. She shrugged. "I just wish I could have known it was going to happen – all of it. I hate being blindsided by things." A pause. "I want to blame myself for what happened but I know I can't, which frustrates me."

"You want to blame yourself."

"Yeah, it would probably make me feel better. Not so helpless."

"You're feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for being there and pulling me through." She smiled at me.

This time I shrugged. "I was just glad to help. You were the strong one."

She was silent for a while, growing somber as she thought. "Everything that she said about my family, it was all just too much at once, you know?"

I nodded. "And the fact that she was the one to tell you all this…" I added softly.

"Yeah," Alice agreed. "Now that I know everything, I'm not sure if I was better of not knowing."

"I know how you feel. But everything will turn out all right. You and Jasper will work through this."

Alice nodded slowly, lost in thought again. Bella had been watching us in a silence, and when I looked her way she smiled. "Edward told me what happened. He thinks you did an amazing job for Alice."

"I guess he's happy he saved my life."

Bella chuckled softly. "He's not the only one who's happy about that."

I smiled.

We traveled miles before the sun came up. Carlisle spoke as we stopped to let the wolves rest. "Do you think she'd be out in the day?"

"It depends," answered Edward. "If she stays hidden, she might, but if she had to go out in public, I doubt it. She won't want to risk any extra attention."

We were at a dead end. Nothing we had found gave us any clue to where he could be. We stood silently as Carlisle tried to figure out what to do. I saw Renesme wander off to the left.

Her voice broke through the air. "Hey guys?"

All eyes were on her. She was picking at a tree. From the bark, she pulled a tiny scrap of plaid fabric.

"What is it, Nessie?"

"I don't know, dad."

I moved closer and she dropped the piece in my hand. It looked ripped, not torn, as if someone had done this. There was no need to look at it any closer; I would have recognized it anywhere. "It's John's."

"So we're on the right track. We have to go this way," pointed Emmett.

"Not so fast," said Jacob. He was standing on the opposite side of where I was, holding up something in his hand. "Found this a little ways out."

"John's shirt," I whispered.

"What's the chance two little scraps like this get found so close to each other?"

"Could she be trying to lead us the wrong way?"

"The question is, did she really plant the scraps or is this the way they went."

Everyone looked from one person to the other as we waited for someone to speak.

"Let's split up," Carlisle suggested.

"Good idea. Jacob, you take Seth and Embry. Bella and I will go with you."

"What about me, daddy?"

"Nessie." Bella let out an exasperated sigh. "I think it would be best if you stayed with Carlisle and Esme. Better yet, you should just go home."

"Mom!"

"Nessie comes with me," Jacob butted in.

"That's not your choice to make, Jacob."

"No. But it's not yours either, Edward."

"Dad, let me go with you."

Edward glanced from Jacob's determined face to Renesme's, which was equally as set. Realizing he would loose this fight anyway, he let out an unneeded sigh and muttered, "Fine."

"Call us if you find anything, Carlisle," said Seth.

Carlisle nodded and we watched as the six of them moved off. "Let's go!" Emmett was bouncing around, unable to keep his anxiety under control.

We pulled our backpacks on and started traveling north, away from the others. Once in a while, a cell phone would ring.

"Still no progress," sighed Carlisle. We had been separated for a few hours now, and still there was no clue.

"She could be in Miami by now for all we know." I could tell Emmett was still angry with himself for letting this happen.

Alice sat down on a huge rock, dejected. I could tell how much it was hurting her that she was blind in all this.

Jasper was pacing in front of her. He was wringing his hands together, looking very nervous.

"What is it, Jasper," asked Esme quietly.

He glanced up at her, confusion across his face. Carlisle noticed it. "Tell us, son."

Jasper shook his head, but spoke anyways. "I'm not sure. A few miles back, it's like I walked into a wall. I haven't felt a single thing since then. I feel like I'm walking through a fog."

Alice looked up suddenly. "A fog? That's how I feel whenever I try to focus on Camila."

Everyone glanced at Alice. Carlisle started thinking out loud. "If Jasper feels like he's in a fog and you feel it when you think of Camila, we might be getting close to her. But it's strange that one vampire could emit such a shield."

"You think it's more than one?" asked Rose, looking around suspiciously.

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Definitely more than one."

Esme had pulled out her cell phone and was dialing before anyone else could move. "Edward. We've found something." He spoke a few words and then Esme hung up. "They're coming."

I was still thinking about what Carlisle had said. "How many do you think there are?"

His eyes moved to my face, but I could tell he was far away. "I would say two or three. No more than five, because we would have noticed their presence."

_We would have heard about a lot of dead bodies_, I filled in.

Alice was sitting with her head in her hands, eyes closed. "Can you get anything, Alice?" Jasper whispered, hoping not to distract her if she was concentrating. But she looked up at him with a slightly frustrated look in her eyes. "Nothing. Actually, it's more than nothing. It's like there's nothing in the future at all."

"Which means we'll confront them, right?" Emmett put out there, eager for a fight.

_Or it's because we'll die._ I thought it but I didn't say it out loud. "Do you think the shield they have works like Bella's, where she has to push it out to affect those around her, or does it come naturally like Fred's?"

Rose was examining her nails. "Does it matter?" Esme scolded her lightly and she looked up at me. "I'm sorry, Lisa, but I just don't see the point in mussing about this. We can't figure out anything."

"If we have options, we won't go in completely blind," Carlisle defended me. "It won't hurt us to think about it."

Rose shrugged and sat down on a rock with a humph. Emmett took Jasper's place and began pacing, while Jasper joined Alice on her rock. They were murmuring to each other softly. I glanced at the sun. I guessed it was around 4. Nobody spoke aloud as we all either sat or paced around. The sky grew darker above us. The sun was setting. I glanced around us. "How long until they get here?"


	12. Chapter 12

12.

But there was no chance to respond. Edward burst through the trees madly, screeching to a halt when he saw us. "Good!" he said, sounding relieved. "I couldn't hear anybody and I was worried we had lost you."

Jasper shook his head. "It's just the fog."

Edward glanced around curiously.

Alice explained. "We think that Camila is near by with a few people like her. They emit a sort of shield that has made all of us blind. I cannot see anything, Jasper can't feel."

"And I can't hear. Huh," Edward muttered in response as he glanced at Carlisle for any more information.

"We'll have to go in blind, Edward. We can't find out anything until we're face-to-face with them."

Jacob burst through the woods next, muttering something about "bloody fast vampires". Seth, unable to stop in time, slammed into Jacob's back, but they barely noticed as one by one, everyone else joined us. They could sense something was about to happen. Jacob finally broke the silence.

"What's up?"

Edward explained to them what was going to happen. Bella and Nessie glanced worriedly at each other and then at Alice. I saw Nessie's arm brush against Bella's as she shared something with her, to which Bella nodded in reply. "Edward," she said softly, and he walked over to them. As they talked softly together Jacob walked over to Carlisle and asked what was going to happen. "We'll go in and see if they have John. If they have him, we might have to fight. If they don't have him, we'll leave quietly."

Jacob glanced back at Embry and Seth, who were joking together. Turning back to Carlisle, he dropped his voice so they wouldn't overhear. "I don't think the two of them should stay. You said there's no more than five –"

"Probably," Carlisle cut in.

"Okay, probably. There are more than enough of us here to fight. They can take Renesme back to the house or maybe even to the reservation."

Carlisle agreed. I heard some moaning and complaining from the two boys as Jacob told them what they needed to do, but they knew it was useless to fight the alpha. Nessie said her goodbyes, fear written clearly on her face, and the three of them sauntered off back to Forks.

"We should travel lightly," spoke Carlisle as soon as the trio was out of hearing range. "Let's leave all our packs here. Edward and Emmett, why don't you come with me and we'll try and scout the place out, see what's going on. The rest of you, follow us at a distance and stay out of sight until we signal for you to join us."

Everyone nodded.

"Now, they may not have John," added Carlisle. "If they don't we'll keep moving. If they have him, be prepared to fight. When I was with the Volturi, we sent out trackers to find these 'ghosts' and kill them. Some never came back, and those who did came back with stories of how strong and hard to kill these 'ghosts' were. Make doubly sure they're dead before turning your back on them."

All the backpacks we had brought were hidden behind a big rock, and slowly we followed as Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle darted off ahead of us. Everyone moved quietly, not even daring to breath. As I glanced from face to face, I saw mostly determination and some fear. I was sure my own face showed the most fear. I was unsure of what I wanted us to find: no John or John, held captive, maybe hurt. I couldn't think about it and instead focused on staying hidden as we moved forward.

The further we moved in, the quieter we got. Near the end, there was no sound at all. Even Jacob managed to breathe and walk very quietly.

Ahead, I saw Edward motion to Carlisle and Emmett and they stopped. The rest of us found somewhere to hide as we waited to see what they would do next. Edward was motioning towards what looked like a giant cave. Since he couldn't read anyone's thoughts, he and Carlisle were motioning wildly back and forth. Bella told me once that Edward and Carlisle had studied sign language together in the earlier days, which is what it looked like they were using now. With a glance back at us, all three disappeared into the rocky structure.

The only people I could see from where I was at were Jacob and Bella. Bella was anxiously biting her fingernails while Jacob was using all of his strength to stand still. Every two seconds he peeked out from behind the tree where he stood to peek at the cave. I could see him bolting after the others, disappearing into the cave mouth, but he stood absolutely still.

What seemed like hours passed before there was movement at the cave. All eyes fixed on its mouth as Edward, Carlisle, and Emmett silently emerged. Moving towards us, we all leaned in as they told us what they had seen.

"There are only four vampires as far as we can tell; two males and one other girl besides Camila. They have a lot of human captives, though. We'll all go in," said Carlisle softly. "Remember, never turn your back on them. We'll burn the bodies outside."

And with that, we were off. Forming a line, we followed Edward inside. I could feel Jacob's breath hot on my neck as he pushed me forward. He was making me way too nervous, so I nudged him back with my elbow. Twelve seconds later, he was breathing down my neck again.

We were thrown into utter darkness as we entered; even I could barely see anything. I ran my hand along the wall and placed my other hand on Bella's shoulder. Finally, there was light up ahead. As we got closer, I noticed that the flickering light came from torches placed every so often along the sides of the cave. Sounds reached my ears, sounding deafening in the utter silence I had grown used to outside.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I recognized what the noises were: humans screaming in extreme pain. Did they torture them for fun? The cave turned into what looked like a hallway with stone walls, splitting off into three directions. Edward pointed at half of us and motioned them to come with him. The rest of us moved after Carlisle and Emmett. We would all come back and check out the third passage together.

We hit a corner and stopped in our tracks. The screaming was so loud now that I could almost tell where it was coming from. Two closed doors away, someone was causing a human extreme pain. I tried listening for other noises. Every once in a while, a voice broke through, followed by laughter or a curse. A man spoke in Spanish. My years of the language in high school failed me; I could not understand a word he said.

Carlisle glanced back at our group: Emmett, Jacob, and Esme and I stood crowded in the small space. He held up two fingers.

_Two vampires._

He pointed to his wrist. _On my count._ Three fingers, two, one. His hand came down as he signaled us forward.

Light filled my eyes as I charged into the room. It was empty, but I could see three doors. One stood halfway open; Emmett was already coming out of it. Carlisle and Esme were heading for the door on the left, so I followed Jacob to the last one, on the right. The door split open as Jacob kicked it in. All I saw were a couple of chairs. Cries came from behind me, but I didn't recognize them. I glanced around the room and spotted another door. I motioned to Jacob and he followed to where I was pointing. He nodded and we ran towards it. Again Jacob kicked the door in. But this time the room was not empty. It took me less than half a second to take it all in. Blood had tinted the walls in the room red. A tall girl stood over a chair, on which sat a very small and frail girl. She was whimpering, sweat dripping down her face. She wore a dirty yellow dress, underneath which her knees shook uncontrollably. She was hooked up to an ancient looking machine, but I guessed quickly what it was for: electrocution. A tall, round man stood in a corner, watching with a smile on his face. One of his front teeth was chipped in half. His smile disappeared as he whirled around to find us standing in the door.

A roar shook the room and suddenly a large wolf was taking up half the space. I paid Jacob no attention as I dove for the redheaded woman. She shrieked and clawed at me, scratching me across the face and chest. Pain ran through me but I pushed the feeling aside as I tackled the woman to the ground. I grabbed for her face, knowing one of the best ways to disable her was to break her neck, but all I got was a handful of hair. She took a hold of my hand and yanked off my index finger. I screamed out and lunged at her, teeth exposed. I bit into her flesh, which tasted like death itself. She began clawing at my hair. Before she could get a good grip to twist my head, I sprang up and landed on top of her, my knees digging into her chest. She tried to bite at me, catching me in the leg. I winced as I grabbed onto her face. Behind me I could hear the tall man fighting and Jacob growling. I was about to snap the girl's neck, when a stone-cold mass hit me in the side. I flew across the room, landing against the wall. I pushed the huge man off me just in time to see both Redhead and Jacob charging towards me. But suddenly she changed her course and sprang towards the huge wolf. I screamed Jacob's name and he lunged around just as the girl caught hold of his fur, tossing him like a blanket through the doorway and into the other room. I turned my attention back to the tall Spaniard on top of me as he tried to claw at my eyes. I grabbed both his hands and snapped his arms. He screamed as they fell to the floor. His leg flew out from under him and hit me in the hips, tossing me into the wall again. I could hear Redhead shouting in Spanish at Jacob as I pushed myself off the wall and into the man. As he was falling backwards, I grabbed his head and snapped it. When he hit the floor, his body was headless. I was about to turn around when Carlisle's voice filled my head. But it was too late. Two arms grabbed unto my shoulders. In a split second, I noticed that the arms and head I had torn off the man were gone off the floor. I spun around and delivered a karate kick to the man's sternum. Again I broke his head off, this time smashing it to the floor and stomping on it until it was dust. Then I began to tear off all his limbs, grinding them into powder under my feet. I swept his ashes into a pile and pulled out a matchbook. Lighting one, I threw it into the pile of white dust. In seconds, the only trace of his was the burn marks on the floor. I grabbed the finger the girl had ripped off my hand and licked the bottom, placing it back on my hand. When it was healed I turned to the girl on the chair. She had passed out and for the first time I could smell the blood draining from her. I gritted my teeth and took slow steps toward her. With each step, I made sure I kept myself under control. My teeth but into my bottom lip but I paid no attention to them. I pulled off the button-up I was wearing over a tank top and ripped it into pieces, tying off the girl's wounds. I pulled her into my arms; she felt like she weighed no more than 99 pounds. I walked into the other room slowly. Jacob was standing over Redhead's body, which was scattered all around the room. Leaning the girl against the wall, I reached in my pocket just as a huge frame filled the doorway. I glanced up in shock, but was relieved to see Emmett standing there. He looked around the room at all the scattered body parts. I tossed the matchbook to him, which he caught without looking, and motioned for the giant wolf to follow me out. I pulled the girl off the floor and headed out the door. Emmett threw the lit match on the parts he had piled together quickly and stepped out of the room, following us back to where all of us had split up. I assumed Esme and Carlisle had gone back to help the others.


	13. Chapter 13

13.

Esme stumbled into the hallway. Her eyes fell on the limp girl in my hands.

"Esme," I breathed out. She ran towards me. "This girl needs help."

"I'll take her outside. Go back with Jacob and Emmett. John needs you." She pointed towards the farthest passage.

Carefully, I placed the girl in Esme's waiting arms and darted off after the two boys, tossing a 'thank you' over my shoulder.

Everything was absolutely silent as I moved along the wall and I soon realized why. A door stood at the end of hall, closed. I pulled it open and went through it. Some of the torches were gone, others put out, but there was still enough light to see where I was going. Sounds of fighting and crying reached my ears. On the left side I could see a door, and as I looked inside, I saw row upon row of cells, complete with iron bars. Cries reached me from within. I would come back later. The sounds of fighting came from the door directly ahead of me. I pulled up and slammed into the half open door, which swung upon and threatened to slam back in to me. My hand shot out to hold it open as my eyes roved around the room. Emmett and Edward were on top of Camila, who was clawing and screaming at them, fighting them off. She was screaming something at Bella and Jasper, who had a hold of a slim blonde.

"Don't you dare touch him!" She cursed in Spanish.

"And why shouldn't we touch him, Camila?" screamed Emmett into her ear. "Do you love him?"

But she didn't need to respond. It was obvious she and the blonde were involved. "Maybe we should make you watch him die, so you know what hurt feels like."

She screamed and my eyes moved away from the scene. Something in the corner caught my eye. A man sat, shaking, eyes wide as he watched the scene in front of him.

"John!" I shouted and dove towards him.

His head jerked towards me. "Lisa!" he managed. I noticed that his arms were bound. I moved quickly to untie them and help him up out of the room, but he tried to fight me. "No, let me help!"

"John, you're hurt. This isn't your fight; you'd get killed. Let me take you outside."

Tears burst from his eyes and I wondered what he had seen inside this dank room. I pulled his arm around my shoulders and helped him stand. "Come on, baby."

Just then I heard the sounds of something hard hitting the wall. Bella grunted as I turned around. The blonde had thrown her into the wall and Jasper was trying to hold on to him, which was proving difficult. Before I could think, I turned back to John and told him to wait outside. Carlisle and Alice were nowhere in sight and I wondered if they were with the humans in the cells. I sprinted towards the blonde, jumping up and landing on his shoulders.

"Don't kill him yet, Lisa!" Emmett screamed. "Let's make him suffer."

So instead of pulling off his head, I yanked off his arms. He screamed into my belly and tumbled backwards, hitting the floor. When I jumped off him, I took a handful of hair with me. Jasper's heel landed into the man's chest and there was a soft cracking sound.

"Luke!" Camila screamed.

A furry was building up inside me. I grabbed one of Luke's arms and threw it at her. "How does it feel to watch the one you love suffer?" She screamed at me. "You'll be sorry you ever messed with me or Alice!"

My fist slammed into her cheek and a huge crack appeared. She growled at me. "You don't have the guts to kill the man," she hissed.

I put my face close to hers and snapped back, "Watch me, _amigo_."

Luke was trying to kick at Jasper so I grabbed one of his airborne legs and snapped it in half. His scream filled the room and shook the door.

"You'll pay for this!" Camila screamed at me. She tried to pull away from Emmett and Edward, but they weren't budging. Emmett was wearing a satisfied smirk, while Edward watched with a hard face.

With Luke's leg still in my hand, I swung it around like a cane. "What shall I do next," I said in a singsong voice. I reached out towards Luke's eyes with my fingers. Camila clenched her lips shut, glaring at me.

"Okay," I nodded. I ran my fingers down his face and reached into his mouth. "He won't be so fun if he can't talk." Camila jerked but still made no noise. "Oh, I know," I said as I stood up. I moved back to his legs and placed my foot on his crotch. Luke groaned. And finally Camila reacted. "You -! Don't touch him!" She began cursing vehemently in Spanish.

"Ah!" I said softly. Before she could react again, my foot slammed down. Luke screamed at the top of his lungs. Before he could calm down, I grabbed his other leg and yanked it off, causing him to start sobbing.

Camila fell silent. Emmett poked her in the ribs with his elbow, but she didn't react. When she looked up again, a small sob left her throat. "Please, please just kill me now."

"Oh, poor baby," Emmett mocked. "Is this too much for you?" He yanked on her arm. "Huh?" he screamed.

Another sob erupted from her mouth. "Please."

"No way, _chica_," Emmett whispered harshly. Then he nodded at me to continue. But I couldn't do anymore. Dropping his legs I jumped on his head and snapped it before he could utter another cry.

Emmett yelled and I saw Edward slap him silent out of the corner of my eye. Emmett's hand flew up behind Camila's head, grabbing her hair. In one fluid motion, pushed her head forward, slamming it into his knee. A loud crack split the air. When Camila's head flew back up, it was nearly split in half. A look of pure horror was written on her face. Then her head went back down and Emmett slammed it into the floor, over and over again, until half her face was powder. Edward let go of the girl's arm and moved over to me, helping me pull Luke into as many pieces as possible. I glanced back at Emmett but Edward shook his head.

_Let him get it out of his system._

I wasn't sure if I had actually heard him say that or if it was just my imagination. He didn't give me time to think about it. "Take John out of here. I'll finish him up."

I nodded and turned around. John was hanging on to the doorframe, tears and snot streaming down his face. His half-healed wounds were bleeding again. He let out a soft gasp as I grabbed him and pulled him up softly. "Come on," I whispered. Slowly we made our way out.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

It was dark outside, though not as dark as it had been in the cave. The only light came from the moon shining through the canopy of trees. Esme had laid the girl on the grass, tending carefully to her wounds. Carlisle's pack lay next to her, bandages and antibacterial cream sitting on top of it. John fell down on the floor next to the girl and closed his eyes. Esme glanced up and smiled softly at me. "How is he?"

"I think his leg is broken, and he's got some cuts, but most of the damage was from what he saw."

She nodded. "Why don't you finish up with her and I'll tend to John."

We switched placed and I bandaged up the last cut I could see on her. I turned her over slowly and made sure I had gotten everything.

Slowly the others trickled out of the cave, covered in dirt and ashes. Carlisle came out last, looking from the girl lying in front of me to his wife. "Esme," he said softly. I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not, but I thought I detected a note of pain in the way his voice. She stood and walked towards him. They whispered together softly.

Edward walked up behind me and squatted down. "How is he?"

"Broken leg and cuts and bruises, which will all heal fine."

"You're worried about his mental health."

"And you can hear my thoughts again."

"The people who caused the fog are dead."

"Yes," I responded to his previous question. "Will he be okay?"

Silence. I glanced back at Edward worriedly. "I don't know, Lisa," he said slowly.

I pushed my lips together, unsure of how to feel about that. Edward stood and moved over to Bella. My eyes began to burn and I glanced down at my hands.

"It'll be okay," whispered someone behind me. I didn't have to look up to know it was Alice. I folded my hands together and stood slowly.

"Edward wasn't so sure."

"Edward can't see the future," she reminded me.

"Yeah," I replied mechanically. "What is Carlisle talking to Esme about?"

"We found two humans in the cave."

I glanced at her for the first time.

She read my facial expression. "He's not sure what we're going to do with them. We can't let them free because we don't know how much they know, but we can't kill them either."

"Or leave them."

Alice glanced over her shoulder at Carlisle. Esme was rubbing his arm.

"Maybe we should let the Volturi take care of it."

Alice shook her head and looked back at me. "They would just kill them."

"Too bad we don't have someone who can wipe their memory."

"Yeah," Alice replied softly, glancing back over her shoulder again.

Edward had moved to join Carlisle and Esme. "Let's ask them what they know," he suggested quietly.

Esme nodded. "That sounds good. Carlisle?"

"Yes."

Behind me, the girl we had found in the chair was coming to. I sank down on me knees just as her eyes flashed open. Slowly she took in her surroundings. When she spotted me, she jerked back, wincing in pain. I placed my hand softly on her shoulder to keep her down.

"We're not here to hurt you," I said. "What's your name?"

She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Finally she cleared her throat and whispered, "Elise." Her curls bobbed up and down as she shook.

"Elise." I wondered momentarily if I had detected an accent when she said her name. "We need you to tell us what you know."

The girl stared at me, confusion written across it as plain as day.

"Please, you need to tell us what they did to you. How much do you know about the people who took you."

"_S'il vous plait! Je ne parle pas l'anglais._ No… English." She grabbed my arm, her eyes darting around her in fear. "_S'il vous plait. Vous devez m'aider!_"

"_Nous vous aiderons,_" a voice said from behind. I glanced up to see Rosalie standing over me. "_Juste nous dire que vous savez des gens qui vous ont pris._"

Words started streaming out from the girl, all in French. Rose responded once in a while with a nod or a '_que_', which I assumed meant 'what'. Once in a while, Elise's voice would break and tears would roll down her face.

"She says she doesn't know much. They tortured her and repeatedly asked her the same question, but since she couldn't understand them, they just tortured her some more. She says there were others with her from many different countries. She also said there used to be six of the vampires before there was a big fight and two were killed."

"Does she know what they were?"

Rosalie translated my question. When the girl answered, there was no need for a translator. "Bloodsucker," I translated to myself. Rosalie nodded slowly.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

Carlisle had heard everything.

"Do you think the others know as well," asked Esme carefully.

He shook his head.

"Only one way to find out," muttered Edward.

"Let's bring them outside. Jasper, will you come with us?"

Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper made their way back into the cave. Elise let out a soft sob and I turned back to her. "Rose, tell her the vampires are dead, that we killed them."

Rosalie translated and Elise calmed down considerably. "_Merci, merci_," she whispered over and over. After a while she fell silent and soon she was asleep, her breathing slowing down.

Slowly I got up and moved around her, sitting down next to John. We didn't say anything.

The sound of sobbing echoed off the cave walls and into the clearing where we sat. I stood just as Edward and Carlisle emerged, helping two people along with them. Jasper was walking slowly behind them.

The one Edward was holding was about a head shorter than him, a man with sunken-in cheeks. His eyes were red and swollen and his lips raw and bleeding. He stumbled along, his head of brown hair bobbing as he moved. Carlisle was holding on old woman up with his arm. She looked to be about 70, her head full of perfectly white hair. She was crying softly to herself, her hand clasped unto Carlisle's arm tightly. She let out a soft gasp when she noticed she was outside. The man sank down to the floor and buried his face in the grass, crying.

"How long have they been in there?" Alice asked quietly.

"Too long." Bella's tone was grave.

The old woman was muttering something in a foreign language. "Can anyone understand what she's saying?"

Nobody responded, staring blankly as the woman babbled on. Edward's head swiveled around suddenly, looking at something behind me. When I turned, I saw Elise trying to stand up. I rushed towards her and pulled her to her feet. Leaning on me, she glanced at the old woman and a tear rolled from her eye. "_Russe_." Then she rushed towards the old woman on shaky legs and fell next to her, wrapping her arms around the old woman's frail body.

"Rose, you don't happen to speak Russian, too, do you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I only know French because a lot of my family was from France."

The man was looking up now, studying his surroundings, carefully avoiding looking at us. By the slant in his eyes I could tell he was Asian. He looked to be about 40, his face dried out from years of exposure to the sun. Jasper squatted down to his level and waited until the man's eyes slowly focused on him.

"Do you speak English?"

The man didn't respond for a while. When he opened his mouth, he spoke in nearly perfect English. "Who are you?"

"We came here to kill the people that held you captive."

"They are dead?"

Jasper nodded.

"Thank you," the man responded, clasping his hands together and bowing. "Thank you, thank you," he murmured as he bowed to everyone of us.

When he was done, Jasper asked him, "How long were held captive?"

"Months and years, I'm not sure. Long time."

"Do you know anything about the people who held you captive?"

"Animals," the man spit to the side. "They torture many more of us, killing us slowly. They keep asking us, 'Do you want to live forever'. Then they kill us and take us away."

"Where did they take you?"

"No one knows."

Jasper exchanged a glance with Carlisle, who nodded slowly. They were killing the humans off to create more ghost vampires. Emmett growled softly in disgust.

"These humans were disgrace. I thank you for killing them."

Another glance was exchanged. So the man didn't know what they really were. "Does the woman know anything?" Edward asked, nodding his head in her direction.

The man shrugged. "She does not speak English. She only cry, all day and night, and pray."

Carlisle motioned to Edward, Jasper, and Esme to join him. They spoke in muted voices, but I could hear them.

"Edward."

"The man doesn't know anything more, and the woman, well, I can't read her thoughts because everything is in Russian."

"I think it's safe to let them go," whispered Esme. She put her hand on Carlisle's arm and squeezed it softly. "Carlisle?"

He looked at his wife for a few seconds and then back at the others. Nodding, he replied, "Yes. If they don't know anything, I think we're safe to let them go."

I stepped forward and joined the little meeting. "What about the girl, Elise?"

"She knows?"

I nodded.

Carlisle was silent for a moment as he thought it over. "We'll take her with us and decide what to do when we get back."

Edward started to object. "I don't really think –", but Carlisle shook his head to tell him to let it go. The group split and we began to pack our bags up as Carlisle went to go explain to the man that he was free to go. The man stood and vigorously thanked him.

"Take the woman with you," Carlisle added.

The man nodded and helped the old woman to her feet. Elise looked around, unsure as to what was happening. Rosalie moved to her side and explained to her in French. She nodded in reply, fear coming back into her eyes. I helped John sit up while Carlisle assembled a stretcher for him and Elise. She didn't need one, but it would take us a day and half to get home at human speed. He gave her a sedative, which knocked her out instantly and we were on our way. I stayed next to John for the first hour, but we didn't say a word. By his blank face I could tell he was lost in thought. I fell back and Alice came to walk beside me, grabbing hold of my hand.

"There's something he's thinking about, something he wants," I whispered.

She nodded. "Don't let it worry you. We'll deal with it when he asks you."

I nodded, but I couldn't keep my mind off of it. I had seen the look on his face as he had to sit there and watch me fight.

We made it home just before the sun rose. John was carried into the little cabin, where I fixed him dinner and the left him to sleep. Elise had been put up in Renesme's room, who was now wide awake and asking a million questions. Bella pulled her to the side so she wouldn't bother anyone else.

I plopped down in one of the leather chairs in Carlisle's office. Edward stood in the corner behind me, while Alice propped herself on the arm of my chair, Esme choosing the seat beside us. Jasper stood behind Alice.

"What are we going to do with Elise? Alice, can you see anything?"

"She'll eventually find out what we are."

"What happens when she does?"

"She runs away."

"She'll tell the whole world about us, Carlisle," Edward protested.

"Maybe we can convince her what she saw wasn't real, that she made up the part about the people who kept her captive being vampires."

Everyone considered what I said. "It might work," muttered Carlisle.

"It depends on how much she saw," added Jasper softly.

"There's only so much you can explain away for a person."

Alice nodded. "I think it might work. If we can convince her, we can let her go."

"But first we'll let her rest," Esme said firmly but kindly.

Carlisle nodded. "Yes, she needs to rest. Edward, why don't you make her some food for when she wakes up? And everyone, act normal; there is no need to scare this girl more."

Everyone stood but Edward was still having doubts. "What if we can't convince her?"

"It'll work, Edward," Alice said.

He glanced at his sister and nodded after a few seconds. "Okay."


	16. Chapter 16

16.

It was another rain day in Forks. I was thankful for the clouds hiding the sun as we rode silently home from the dance studio. We had our last day of practice before the big show in five days and I could tell all the kids were getting nervous. I had forgotten how exciting a performance like this was, even for me as a teacher. With everything that had happened the past two nights, it felt odd slowing down and going back to normal life.

John hadn't said a word to me since he'd woken up at 11 this morning. I wasn't sure if he was ignoring me on purpose or if it just happened that we didn't see each other. I glanced at the clock on the dash: 5:36. I would have to pull myself together and ask him what was on his mind, even though I was absolutely positive I wouldn't like his answer.

Alice and Esme were chatting together softly in the front seat. They had noticed my silence and left me to my thoughts. When we pulled up in the garage, they walked straight to the house. Alice turned around to smile at me before she disappeared through the door. I let out a sigh.

"Here we go," I muttered.

The door to the cabin creaked open and I checked the surroundings: no John. I pulled out some chicken and pasta and got busy in the kitchen. At 5 minutes to six, I heard the door creak open and footsteps approaching slowly. There was an additional tap as the crutches hit the floor. When John reached the kitchen, he stopped. After a few minutes of silence, I turned around to face him. We didn't say a word.

He went to wash his hands and came back a few minutes later. Silently he sat in his usual spot as I served him his dinner. I cleaned out the pan and finally turned around. I placed my hands flat on the kitchen counter in front of him. He stopped eating and looked up slowly. We both knew what was coming, but he didn't say anything to start the ball rolling.

Fine. Apparently it was up to me this time. "You haven't said a single word to me since we left that cave. So, what is it, John?"

His hand reached for a napkin and I watched as he slowly wiped his mouth. Before he spoke, he cleared his throat. But then he seemed at a loss for words; his mouth hung open but nothing came out.

Finally he closed it. "That was hard, in the cave. Watching you fight while I had to sit there, helpless, with a broken leg no less." He looked at me, staring at my lips to avoid having to look me in the eye. Slowly he continued. "I don't think it's fair that you have to be the one protecting me all the time."

Immediately warning bells rang in my head. I had thought the conversation might go this way, but actually hearing the words falling from his mouth sent me into shock. "John, please –", I started, but he cut me off.

"Please… let me finish. I still don't know how I feel about this whole," he started as his hands played around the room.

When he didn't finish, I ended it for him. "Vampire thing?"

"Yeah, that," he said nervously. "I still don't know how I feel about it, but I realized, sitting in that cave, that I couldn't let us live two completely different lives."

Again I tried to interrupt, but he stopped me by putting his hand up. "We've been trying to fool ourselves into thinking that our relationship could work, Lisa." He pushed his plate away and stood up, moving around the counter. He pulled my hands into his and turned me to face him. "I don't ever want to be in a situation like that again, where I have to watch you fight to protect me. I want to be the one protecting you, fighting alongside you."

I opened my mouth but all that came out was a mumbled up sound of several words.

"Please, Lisa, I can't live like this anymore." He took a breath and whispered out with it, "Change me."

I pulled away from him. "John, you don't know what you're asking."

"But I do!"

"No, John." His face fell. "I love you, John, so, so much, and I _want_ to spend forever with you, but I don't want to _kill_ you, either."

"You don't want me to be like you?" Hurt stung me with every word.

"No, that's not it. I just don't know if you really want it."

"I do!"

"John. You said yourself you're still not sure about the vampire thing. I think you're stuck in the moment. I don't want you to make a rash decision like this, because this is forever we're talking about."

"I'm not, Lisa."

"But I'm not convinced. Maybe you should sit on this a few more days." I crossed my arms when he tried to reach for my hands again. "Please, John, for me. Just think about it a little longer."

He began to object but I was already making my way to the door. I hadn't been as prepared for this conversation as I would have liked to think.

My blind wandering led me to Alice's door. I knocked softly.

"Come in, Lisa."

I walked in slowly. Alice was sitting on the bed and Jasper was sitting in Alice's 'torture chair', the one she made people sit in as she paraded in front of them, trying out outfits.

Jasper left the room quietly and I made my way to the bed.

"What's wrong, Lisa?"

I was sure she already knew the answer. I fell down on the bed next to her and curled up in a ball. "Alice, it's so terrible."

"I doubt that. Anything can be solved."

"You saw this coming, didn't you?"

She didn't respond for a while. When she did, her voice was extremely quiet. "It was bound to happen one day."

"You could have warned me."

"Would that have prepared you anymore?"

I didn't have to think about the answer to that. "No," I answered like a disgruntled toddler.

Alice scooted closer to me and pulled my head into her lap. She started playing with my hair, combing her fingers through my unruly curls.

"Lisa, you have to understand that he wants this because he loves you."

"Does he, Alice? Does he want this because he loves me or because it'll make him feel more manly?"

"He didn't just ask you because he would like to protect you. He thought this through. He knows how this would change his life."

"Does he?"

"Mmhmm. John isn't stupid."

There was a soft tap on the door and I heard someone move across the floor. Alice nodded to an unspoken question and the person slowly sat down behind me. "Lisa," Edward's voice fell over me like a waterfall of compassion.

The empty feeling that had started in the pit of my stomach grew and I softly let out a groan. Edward put his hand on my shoulder.

_Lisa, maybe I can help you._

I sniffled though my nose was dry. _Was it like this when Bella asked you to change her?_

There was a long pause, before he answered in the affirmative. _It's not easy to have the one person you love most in the world want you to willingly take the life they know away from them and give them this… hell._

_Is that what you think this is?_

Another pause. "Isn't it?"

I shrugged. _Maybe. _

_What are you scared of?_

A million possible answers flew through my head, but none of them were really quite right. _I don't know._

A pause of complete silence.

_I'm scared that he'll be changed and realize what an absolute mistake he has made._

_You're scared that he will leave you._

I nodded my head slowly. A sob bubbled up from my throat. The empty feeling in my stomach had taken over my whole body until I felt numb all over. Something was tugging at my heart but I was too scared to identify it. I screamed mentally and heard Edward wince.

_Just because you scream mentally doesn't mean it can't hurt my ears._

_Sorry._

_No, there's no need to apologize. There were a lot worse things going on in my own head when I was in your shoes._

Silence.

_I do love him._ Another sniffle.

Lisa, let me tell you something. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, changing Bella, but I haven't regretted it. Not even for a second.

We sat in silence. After a few minutes, Edward's hand slowly pulled away from my shoulder and I heard the door shut behind him as he silently left the room. I bit my lip and sniffed again.

Alice was still stroking my hair.

"What happens, Alice? What do I choose?"

She didn't respond for a long time. "Whatever you decide in the end will be the right decision."

I didn't try and fight her for an answer. I closed my eyes and slowly the empty feeling left my body, though my head still felt like a bees' hive.


	17. Chapter 17

17.

I barely made it down the stairs when I heard Alice's door open again and her soft foot falls moving towards Carlisle's office. A soft knock, then the door creaked open.

"Carlisle, there's something I should tell you."

I halted, wondering if she was going to tell him about John's wish. But her mind was on something else entirely. "The Volturi are on their way."

"I suppose it was to be expected."

"Somehow they heard about what happened in the forest with Camila and her friends."

There was a long pause and then a sigh. "Tell the others."

"Yes, of course."

I heard the front door open and close as Edward and Bella, followed by Renesme came in.

"Did you hear?" I asked Edward softly.

He nodded.

Of course he'd heard, I thought, feeling stupid. This whole thing with John was disrupting my thought process.

Edward looked at me and gave me a small smile, as if to say that everything would be all right.

"Oh good!" Alice exclaimed as she came down the stairs, spotting us. Jasper was right on her heels, Carlisle and Esme close behind. Emmett and Rose brought up the rear, holding hands as they ran. "You heard, Edward."

"How long?"

"They're moving fast, an hour, two tops."

"Edward?"

"They're not coming to fight. They just want to get facts and make sure the situation is under control."

"Good. But just in case, let's keep John far away from this. We don't need the Volturi making any threats."

Everyone nodded and I wondered what kinds of other threats the Volturi had made against the Cullens. Perhaps something to do with Bella, I mussed.

"Lisa, why don't you tell John to stay in the cabin for now until we say it's safe."

A lump formed in my throat. I prayed that John wouldn't bring up anything about our last conversation. Edward squeezed my arm softly.

It'll be all right, Lisa.

"Okay," I said slowly as I moved off. I walked slowly to the cabin and stood for several moments in front of the door. For a moment I thought I could see faces in the wood grain, leering at me, but I knew it was simply my nerves. I cracked the door open. John sat in a chair in the middle of the room, waiting. His head flew up when he heard the door creak. "Lisa?"

I took in a silent breath and stepped into the cabin. "John."

He stood and moved towards me. "Lisa, you've got to listen to me –"

I cut him off with a finger to his warm lips when he reached me. "Please, John, not now."

He heard the worry I my voice and went quiet. His face fell slowly. "What is it?"

He thinks I'm going to say 'no'.

A little voice in the back of my head whispered, Does that mean you won't say 'no'?

I ignored it. I wasn't going to have this conversation with myself right now. "The Volturi are coming here." John's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then furrowed in worry. "They just want to get the facts about what happened with Camila. But it's best you stay out of sight until they're gone."

John nodded. "Of course." His hand fell away from mine. There was a slight quiver in his lip and I knew what John was thinking; he thinks I'm mad at him.

"John," I whispered, cupping his face with my hands. "I'm not mad at you. I just… need time."

John's eyes searched mine.

"Can you give me time to think about it, please?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted him again. "I love you, John. Please don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Slowly he nodded. My hands fell away from his face. I pulled him into a hug, kissing the top of his head. "I love you so much, John."

I felt him relax against me. "I know," he whispered brokenly. "I'm hoping that's enough," he added.

His head turned towards mine and I kissed him softly on the lips. A strand of hair fell in to his eyes and I brushed it back. I thought about how much I had wanted him to want to be like me, but now that I was given the choice, I wasn't sure what I wanted anymore. I wanted to spend forever with this man, but I never realized it might mean having to steal away the life he knew.

I snuggled my cheek into the side of his head and closed my eyes. The lump in my throat grew as I listed to his heart beating.

Finally I pulled away enough to see his face. "I've got to get back to the house."

He nodded. "I'll see you soon."

Reluctantly I stepped out of his hug and made my way to the door. I paused there, my hand resting on the wood paneling. "When I found you lying in that clearing, with all those vampires around you, I vowed to myself that I would never let anything or anyone hurt you again."

He didn't respond or move. Finally I turned around to face him. Looking into his eyes, I knew what it was I wanted. I wanted to turn him; I wanted to spend forever with him. "I'm having a hard time keeping that promise."

And then I was out the door and making my way back to the house. Conflicting emotions were waging a battle in my heart. Bella was standing outside the door, apparently waiting for me.

I stopped in front of her and we watched each other for a few minutes.

"Edward told me," was all she said.

I nodded. I wrapped my arms around my waist.

"I just wanted to tell you that this is not a spur-of-the-moment decision he's making. He's thought about it and he knows what it means."

"You don't regret anything?"

She shook her head. "If I could do it again, I would do it over and over. This is the best decision I've made in my life."

My face must have shown my disagreement.

"I love Edward. And now, I am able to love him forever. That's all John is asking you for."

"To let him love me forever," I mumbled.

She nodded. Her lips curled upwards softly at the edges. "If you want this, then you shouldn't deny both of you what you want."

I knew what she was doing. She was playing up my feelings, giving me a sort of guilt trip.

"Sorry, but I had to say it," she said with a smile.

I laughed. "Of course you did, Bella."

Her face turned serious again. "I know how much this would mean to both of you. I just want you to make the right decision."

I nodded. "Thanks," I answered slowly.

"Come on, let's go inside."

I followed her into the house.


	18. Chapter 18

18.

The hour passed by uneventfully. Unlike when we had been waiting for Fred to come, we were more relaxed. Most of us did what we normally did; Emmett and Jasper watched a game together, while Edward and Nessie sat at the piano, and I had my nose buried in a book. This time I had picked a good novel; Esme had recommended it to me a few days ago and I hadn't gotten the chance to read it yet.

Alice sat next to Jasper, her feet propped up in his lap, where he unconsciously rubbed them. Her and Rose were painting their nails together. They had tried to pull Bella into their little nail party, but she politely declined and put the headphones for her mp3 player into her ears. Her eyes were closed, head bobbing softly, to whatever she was listening to.

Alice had just finished painting her last nail when she tensed up. Jasper noticed it immediately.

"Are they close?"

She nodded. "Five minutes."

We didn't have to wait any longer than she had predicted. There was a soft knock on the door. Carlisle pulled it open. The first person I saw was Aro, his personal shield named Reneta right behind him. Marcus and Caius filed in. The minute Bella saw Jane and Alec come in, her shield pulsed out and covered all the Cullens. Jane threw a hateful snare at Bella as she passed by her, though I wasn't sure if it was because she sensed the shield was up or because of their past history.

Aro was looking around the room with great interest. "A beautiful home, Carlisle."

Carlisle nodded his thanks and offered a seat to the six Volturi. Aro, Caius, and Marcus all sat, though the others remained standing, moving in behind the couch. Aro folded his hands together, smiling giddily as he surveyed everyone in the room. His red eyes landed on mine and remained there for a while. By his expression I could tell he was recalling my gift. "Hello, Lisa."

I didn't smile, simply nodding my head in response.

"Still bitter about before, I see."

"It's not something I'll easily forgive you for," I answered curtly.

"Of course not, dear." His smile widened. "Tell me, is your husband here?"

Edward answered the question for me. "He's none of your concern."

Aro chuckled quietly and glanced at the two people on either side of him, but they weren't smiling. Aro humphed quietly and turned back to us.

Caius spoke. "We did not come here to question Lisa about her husband," looking at Carlisle. "I'm sure you know why we're here," he added as his eyes moved to Alice's face. She smiled sweetly, as if she had no idea what he meant.

"The issue has been taken care of," said Carlisle.

"How did you come across them," asked Marcus.

"There was a woman that came to us, claiming she had knowledge of Alice's past."

"Did she?"

"Yes."

"So you let her in?"

Carlisle glanced at Esme before replying. "Yes."

"And then what happened?"

"She distressed Alice greatly and she left. Lisa and Emmett went outside to confront her and found her trying to get to John."

Aro glanced from me to Emmett. Your wolf friends were here to protect him," he guessed.

Carlisle nodded. "Emmett and Lisa chased her a ways into the forest before she disappeared. A little later, when Lisa went back to the cabin, she found that John was gone."

"And your wolf friends were still there?" Carlisle nodded, to which Aro clicked his tongue in response. "Not very good watch dogs."

"She climbed in through the back window," spoke up Bella in defense.

Aro smiled at her. "Of course," he said with a chuckle.

"So you followed her trail to their hiding place?" asked Marcus.

"We followed John's scent. None of us could smell or feel Camila."

"Because she was a ghost."

Carlisle responded in the affirmative. "She had left us a trail to mislead us, so we split up to find where they had actually gone. My group realized we were close when Jasper mentioned that he couldn't feel anything at all. We thought that it might be because these ghost vampires were emitting a sort of shield."

"Interesting," muttered Caius. He whispered something in Aro's ear about not having known that.

"We went in together and killed all four of the vampires."

"There were only four?"

"Yes. We tore them apart and burned them."

"Good."

Marcus, Aro, and Caius turned towards each other and began muttering quietly. When they were done, Caius looked at us. "Was there anything else in the cave?"

"No," Edward lied. "We only found the four vampires."

Caius looked Edward up and down and then glanced at Carlisle. "Then you won't mind if Aro takes a look at your memories."

Carlisle spoke up softly. "Don't you trust us now, Caius? Have we ever lied to you?"

Caius exchanged a look with Marcus and Aro that suggested he thought we had, but he let the subject drop. He stood, followed by the other two occupants of the couch. "Thank you for your time, Carlisle."

I could feel Aro's eyes burning into my skull. Finally I met his eyes. He walked towards me. "You know, if you start finding this life boring, you should join us in Italy. Life is never boring there."

Carlisle moved to protect me, but I held up my hand, signaling I could hold my own. "I don't think I'll ever find life here boring, and I've been around you enough to know that living in Washington, as far away from you and your friends as possible, is closer than I can stand." Aro looked taken aback by my outright rejection. "But thank you," I added with a mocking smile.

Again he humph-ed and turned on his heel. But he seemed to remember something else and turned back to me. "Where is your husband?"

"Like Edward said, that is none of your business."

His hand was coming towards me. "Maybe I'll just take a look-see."

I jerked away from him and replied quickly. "He's in the cottage we share together, away from you."

Aro's lips split into a cat-like grin. "He's still human, isn't he?"

"He won't be for long, Aro, so leave it alone," I replied without thinking.

"Mmhmm," he answered. He turned to Carlisle. "It's quite an interesting household you have here. You're quite the human-lover, aren't you, Carlisle?"

"How me and my family choose to live our lives should be none of your concern, Aro."

"But you're so… interesting," Aro replied, sounding like a snake luring in it's prey. Edward shot a warning glance towards Carlisle, letting him know that Aro was trying to play one of his mind games.

"You cannot threaten John's life just so you can get Lisa on your side. I won't allow you to play with my family like that again."

Aro feigned a look of hurt. "But I wasn't even going to suggest that."

Carlisle didn't respond. He didn't have the chance to. From outside came a loud crashing noise. Everyone's heads turned toward the window by the front door. If my heart was still beating, it would have skipped a beat. A figure stood a few yards away from the porch, bathed in the waning sunlight. I would have recognized her anywhere.

Her mouth opened wide and from her throat ripped a glass-shattering scream. "Cuuulleeeen!"

Camila was back from the dead.


	19. Chapter 19

19.

Alice let out a small cry when she recognized Camila. Jasper's hand flew into hers.

One of the first things I noticed about Camila was the fact that the sun wasn't reflecting off her skin like it should for a vampire. Instead, it was like the light was disappearing inside her, as if it had hit a black hole. The second thing I noticed was the hugged tree laying uprooted a few feet away from her. That was where the crash had come from. And the last thing I noticed were the three figures standing behind her, clad in torn shirts and pants, faces streaked with mud, and eyes red and hard like rubies.

Caius was the first to move. He turned to Carlisle. "This is the girl?"

No one responded to his question.

"She isn't quite as dead as you thought," remarked Aro.

"I don't –" Alice began, but Aro cut her off.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand or not. She apparently very alive and we need to be rid of her. So let's not stand around all day chit-chatting." And with the most show of authority that he had ever shown, he yelled, "Move!"

It was too much for me to handle. I sank down to the couch, putting my head on my knees and hugging them with my arms. In my four years, I had never felt this drained. Someone squatted down in front of me.

"Lisa," Esme whispered softly. "You stay here. We'll let the men handle this one."

I nodded and felt someone sit down next to me. I recognized Alice's scent as she wrapped her arms around me.

The sounds of fighting from outside reached my ears, but I blocked it out. Esme stood and moved away from us. She was back a few minutes later.

"Lisa?"

I glanced up in surprise. "John," I whispered, feeling pure relief flood over me.

"I thought you might like to have him here," said Esme kindly.

"Thank you," I whispered to her as I grabbed John's hand and pulled him down unto the couch next to me. Alice let her arms fall away from me and I swayed to the other side, landing softly against John's chest. He was breathing slowly, and I concentrated on the rhythm of his chest rising and falling. The warmth of his blood came through his shirt and tried to penetrate my icy skin.

With a kiss to the top of my head, he whispered to me, "I love you, Lisa."

What I had said to Aro pushed back up to the front of my mind. "He won't be for long, Aro, so leave it alone."

I didn't want to fight it anymore. If John had his mind set on this, it was going to happen sooner or later. Though I had thought before that I was being selfish by wanting him to be like me, now I realized it was selfish to not give him what he wanted because it didn't sit right with me.

"I love you too, John," I mumbled into his chest.

A few strands of hair cascaded over my shoulder and John started twirling one around his finger.

After about half an hour, I glanced over at the clock. The fight was still going on out there and I wondered what it would take to actually kill Camila and the others for good. I was interrupted by the sound of growling under my ear. In surprise, I shot out away from John until I realized it was his stomach.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him guiltily. Mentally is punished myself for forgetting to feed him.

He nodded and stood up. "Anything in the house?"

I glanced at Esme, who nodded. "We always keep a few things handy. Renesme does have to eat sometimes," she added. She stood and led us to the huge kitchen just past the living room. Alice had curled up on the couch, flipping through a fashion magazine mindlessly.

"How does macaroni and cheese sound? I learned how to make it from watching a cooking show and apparently it's supposed to be scrumptious."

I moved to help Esme, but she waved her hand at me. "I'll do it. You go relax with your husband while I mix this up. It won't take too long." She turned to John. "Would you like chicken with that?"

John nodded. "Thank you so much."

Esme smiled and shrugged. "It's nothing. Now go back and sit."

We obeyed her and moved to the love seat, letting Alice stretch out on the three-seater. John began playing with my hair again as I placed my head on his chest. Mentally I was debating whether I should tell John about my decision now or later.

"I want you to know that I've thought about it a lot," John finally spoke up.

I was silent for a moment. "I know," I finally answered.

"It's not something I just decided last night. I've been sitting on this for a while."

"How long?"

Pause. "A month or two."

"I just always thought you never wanted anything to do with that part of my life."

"I thought that, too." He let out a slow sigh. "Lisa, when I married you, you remember what I promised to you in the car?"

I nodded. "To love all of me."

"Yes. And I know that the Cullens are a huge part of your life now."

He didn't speak again for a few moments. "I realized I didn't want to be left out. I want to keep my promise. I want to love all of you again."

I sat up and looked into his face. He had some stubble from not shaving for three days. His eyes shone brightly. "So you're alright with who I am now?"

He took my hand in his and looked down at it, rubbing it with his thumbs. "I never thought I would be," he answered. Looking up at me, he finished, "but, yes, I am."

Now I was the one looking down at our interlaced hands. "I don't know if I'm ready to believe that," I whispered, loudly enough for him to hear.

"And I understand that. I don't want to rush this. I want us to both feel a hundred percent right about this."

I nodded slowly. "Are you a hundred percent yet?"

He chuckled softly. "Honestly? No. Maybe about eighty-nine."

I smiled and looked back up into his face. "I love you, John."

His hand released mine and dug into my hair, pulling me towards him. He kissed me sweetly, his lips warm and sweet against mine like watermelon on a hot summer day. I smiled and kissed him back.

The smell of cheese and chicken finally pulled us apart. John stood up and drifted to the kitchen, where Esme had a plate heaped with steaming food waiting for him. She glanced over his shoulder at me and winked. I realized she had heard everything. Inwardly I blushed slightly, but I smiled back at her.

As John finished his dinner, the sound of fighting died down outside and the smell of burning filled the air. Bella and Rose made their way down the stairs into the living room; I realized I hadn't even known they were gone. I moved towards the door and cracked it wide open, looking out at the scene before me.

A huge fire was burning in the middle of the Cullen's front yard, white smoke rising from it. I recognized the scent of vampires burning. Around the fire stood all the fighters, watching the burning remains wearily. Everyone looked like they had just fought for their lives. Mud streaked their faces and some of their clothes were torn. Emmett had lost his shirt and I noticed that Aro's robe was laying in a crumpled mess by the porch steps. Esme joined me at the door just as Carlisle glanced up. Seeing his wife, he made his way slowly towards us. Looking at his face, it was the first time I had ever seen him look worn out and tired. The effects of the battle showed clearly as he trudged slowly up the stairs. Esme pulled him into her arms.

The sound of wood creaking turned my attention back to the fire. Bella had sprinted down the stairs and was in Edward's arms in a flash, while Jasper came to join us on the porch. I looked him over. His shirt was torn in several places. A huge gaping hole in his chest gave me a glimpse at his many other battle wounds; vampire bites marked his skin like the effects of chicken pox. The crescents glinted in the moonlight.

"How did you finally kill them?" I asked him gingerly.

He looked at me, apparently reading my emotional map. He smiled slightly and I wondered if he had detected the afterglow I felt from my conversation with John. Then his expression turned grim again. "It was the hardest fight I have ever been in," he replied, his southern accent shining through slightly. "Aro had some holy water in his pocket and when he splashed it on Camila's friend, he died instantly."

"How interesting," muttered Alice, who was now beside me in the doorway. "But holy water doesn't affect us, so why would it do anything to them?"

"I think it may be because they were already dead before, the holy water forced the soul from the body completely, causing the body to die."

"So somewhere there might be a ghost of Camila flying around?" I asked.

Jasper shrugged. "Who knows? It's nothing I want to worry about now, as long as she cannot do a thing."

He let out a deep sigh and Alice took his hand, leading him inside. When I looked back towards the fire, I noticed that Aro and the rest of the Volturi were taking their leave. I marched down the steps and grabbed hold of Aro's arm.

"Why did you have holy water in your pocket?"

He glanced at me in surprise, but that was gone in a flash, replaced by a sinister grin. "I carry it around all the time?"

I scoffed. "I'm sure that's true. Why, so you can drink it?"

He didn't respond, so I decided to tell him what I thought.

"You knew what was going to happen, didn't you?"

Again, no response, but I saw a flicker in his eyes. I was on the right track.

"You knew exactly how to kill Camila and her friends. But you had to have a reason to come down here, so you chose me."

"Why would I choose you?"

"Don't play games with me, Aro. You thought you could convince me to join you when you conveniently saved my life, is that it?"

He chuckled, but all the humor had left his face. "You think you know me so well, do you?"

"I know enough."

Aro folded his hands in front of him. "Won't you join us, Lisa? I can give you a good life." His gaze moved to the huge house standing behind us. "Your true potential is not being used here. The Cullens are obviously afraid to let you do anything here, scared that you will find out what you're really capable of. You could be great."

I wanted to slap the man so badly, but I refrained. "I would rather be happy than be great."

"And are you happy here?" It was like Aro could see into my very soul. He knew what my weak spots were, but I wouldn't let him manipulate me like that.

"Yes, I am."

Suddenly, Aro's eyes turned cold, piercing into mine relentlessly. He grabbed hold of my arm. Through clenched teeth, he whispered, "Join me, Lisa, or I will kill your husband."

I gasped in shock, nearly falling over backwards. Only Aro's death grip on my arm held me in place.

"I'll be back in six months. Choose wisely," he spit at me. Then he threw me to the ground and followed the others into the forest. Marcus was the only one who glanced back, and I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw pity in his eyes as he looked at me.


	20. Chapter 20

20.

I grunted as I pulled myself out of the small crater the force of the push had created. Bella had appeared by my side the minute Aro was gone. She grabbed my hand and helped me stand. We made our way silently into the house, but the silence didn't last long. Once we were safe inside, the front door closed, everyone circled around me, asking all kinds of questions all at once. John was at the front, asking over and over if I was all right.

I assured everyone I was fine. "It was nothing," I said once I managed to get my voice to stop shaking. By the looks I got, I could see everyone could see right through my lie, shaky voice or not. But Carlisle said everyone should drop it and so nothing more was said about what happened. The only two people I was absolutely sure knew were Alice and Edward, and I was okay with that. Everything that happened, they were the two always the first to know, and I was used to it by now.

Edward's hand grazed my shoulder as he passed by me. Don't wait too long to tell him, Lisa. He deserves to know. His hand left my arm, but he turned a little and whispered, "We're here for you, Lisa. We can help you figure this out." And then he was gone, out the door with Bella. The others disappeared into their perspective rooms, leaving John and I standing alone in the huge living room.

"Lisa," John started, but I shrugged, stopping him from saying anything else.

Taking his hand gently, I asked sweetly, "Can we go home?"

He nodded and followed me to our little cabin. The recent events made me see this little place I shared with John in a whole new light. There was no way in heaven or hell that I could stand to loose John, but my other option was no more appetizing. I could still feel Aro's eyes burning into mine; a shiver ran down my spine with the memory of his words.

John had just crawled into bed, asking me to lay with him. I crawled under the sheets and, putting a blanker between us, I snuggled against him. I could say a lot of good things about my husband, but one of the main things I loved about him was that he was always there. I smiled and curled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. For a long time we didn't speak and I wondered if he was asleep.

"Are you going to tell me?" he mumbled into the pillow, sounding extremely worn out and fighting sleep.

I shook my head even as it occurred to me that I couldn't keep this from him forever. I knew he could see straight through my denial, but I didn't want to tell him about the death threat on his life. "Please, John, it's nothing."

He mumbled something incomprehensible into the pillow as he shifted his head around, and then, "You know, I don't like that you discuss thing with them first and not me." His words were slurred. Every fiber in his being was fighting to stay alive, determined to have this conversation with me.

"John," I whispered, but I knew it was true. Mentally I scolded myself for putting the Cullens before my husband. But there was no denying the fact that some things I simply could not discuss with John, and that it was easier to talk to Alice or Esme. But I didn't say any of that. Instead, I simply gave him an apology.

Again he tried to mumble something.

"Shh, John. Just go to bed. We'll talk about this later."

I almost said that I had all the time in the world, but for the first time in four years, that wasn't true.


	21. Chapter 21

21.

The days leading up to the performance went by slowly. It seemed that everyone went out of his or her way to appear normal, never once mentioning anything about the night the Volturi came. I wasn't sure whether to be thankful for the silence or not. I understood what it meant: we will be here for you whenever you're ready to talk about it. Until then, they would pretend that it hadn't even happened. Alice came over every night, and thought she never said a word about it, I could tell she was dying for me to tell her what had happened. I could tell it from the way she sometimes got up and walked the room, running her hand along the wall, or the soft taping of her foot against the floorboards. I hated to keep her hanging, but I wanted to wait until after the performance was behind us, so I would have at least one less thing to worry about.

Finally it was Friday. Alice came by the house early to pick me up. I kissed John goodbye and told him someone would be by to pick him up before the show started. He nodded sleepily and rolled over.

Closing the bedroom door behind me, I turned to Alice. "Hey," I said with a soft smile.

"Hello," she smiled back. "Want to take your car?" she asked. I felt a soft stab of guilt as I realized she was being extra nice to me today, hoping I would spill the beans, and knowing I would make her wait.

"Sure," I replied, trying to sound happy. I was happy inside; I was just having a hard time showing it. Over the past few days, I had found that I had to push my feelings further to make them look genuine. I had thought there would be a great black hole waiting to pull me in, some massive pit of despair, but nothing like that happened. I was simply being sucked dry of any real emotion, slowly. I would have to tell them tomorrow before I became a shell of myself.

I pushed my thoughts aside as I climbed into the front seat of the little Volkswagen Beetle that the Cullens had fixed up and given to me my first year with them.

I stuck the key into the ignition and listened to the engine turn over smoothly. Jacob had completely gutted this old car and put in a new everything for me. I pulled up to the Cullens house upon Alice's instruction and waited as Esme and Bella piled into the back seat. Esme's face was lighted up with joy as she greeted me. I found her happiness contagious and soon we were all laughing and singing along to the radio as we drove towards Forks High School. Behind us rode Edward, Carlisle, and Jasper in Edward's Volvo, while Rosalie and Emmett had decided to take Rose's convertible. It was a beautiful day out, so both our tops were up, but I had rolled down the windows. There were no other cars in sight, so there was no one to see our non-flapping hair.

By the time we got to the school, my mood was elevated so high to the point of bursting with joy. I grinned at Esme, who winked at me. She knew exactly what she was doing.

I glanced around the parking lot, making sure it was completely empty. No one was in sight. Everyone piled out of their perspective cars into the sunlight. The world lit up like someone had turned on the floodlights, every building around us reflecting our sparkling skin. I felt like a disco ball as we moved to the door that led to the gym. Carlisle pulled out the key and we all moved through the doors. The light outside grew dimmer as we stepped out of the sun, into complete darkness. Emmett spotted the breaker box first, turning on all the lights inside the large gym.

Emmett came to stand beside Bella, poking her in the ribs with his elbow. "Bring back good memories?"

She scowled at him, but couldn't help from laughing. "Yeah," she said. "Great memories."

I glanced at Esme for an explanation. She smiled at me. "Let's just say Bella was never the most coordinated person in the world, and sports were her main enemy."

I laughed. "I see."

Alice had made her way to the front of the gym, quickly pulling herself into the role of main event coordinator. She directed us as the boys moved to set up chairs and the girls hung up decorations. I stayed inside while Esme and Bella moved boxes from the cars. I gaped in shock at the mountain of cardboard boxes they piled up. "Alice!" I exclaimed in surprise. "How much stuff did you bring?"

She fluttered over to my side. "Don't worry about it, Lisa," she said happily. "I just got a little more than what we planned for.

"Well, I can see that!"

Alice flapped her hands at me. "Stop worrying. It will all look absolutely gorgeous when we're done."

"You do realize the parents came to watch their children perform, not look at a light show."

Alice put on a pouty face. "We're just creating an atmosphere, Lisa."

I broke down as she stared at me with pitiful eyes. "Alright."

Alice smiled at me but didn't move, as if she was expecting something more. I laughed softly. "Thank you, Alice." I hugged her.

She cheered up as she hugged me back. Then she was skipping off, saying over her shoulder jubilantly, "It'll be great, Lisa! You'll love it!"

The hands on the clock hanging above the basketball hoop in a cage seemed to move as if seconds were passing by, not minutes and hours. Around me, the ordinary gym was being transformed into something resembling a fairyland. Alice had brought lanterns and all kinds of hanging lights, including strands of white Christmas lights. She had brought a roll of gauze to run along the floor in the middle of the two sides of chairs, leading up to the stage Emmett and Edward had put together. They had crafted a foldable wooden platform in their spare time at home. This was the first time I was seeing it. I ran my hand along the soft polished surface. "Wow, Edward! This is fantastic." Emmett stood beside him, beaming.

But Edward, modest as always, shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't all that hard to make. And we were glad to do it."

Emmett nodded enthusiastically, though he seemed a little put off by Edward's denial of how grand the creation was. I smiled at him and gave him two thumbs up.

Alice had brought star lamps to hang over the stage, along with all kinds of white flowers: lilies, roses, and orchids.

It was 5:45 when we got everything finished. Alice was just putting a ribbon around the last chair when the first student filed in. Her name was Sheila and she was in my class. Her mouth fell open as she took in the sight of her transformed high school gym. "Wow," she uttered slowly.

Alice led her to the locker room as she bragged about how good the gym looked.

"You did all this?" I heard Sheila ask in amazement.

Slowly the rest of the students filed in, all showing the same surprised awe that Sheila had shown. Slowly the trickle of students stopped, giving way to the flow of parents. Esme and Carlisle were assigned to the duty of giving the hand outs to every parent, while Jasper and Rose led them to their seats. We had twenty minutes before the show was going to start, so I made my way to the locker room to check on progress. The energy inside the locker room was incredible. I walked in and could hear all the girls chatting wildly away. Cell phones beeped and chimed as girls received texts, probably sharing with their friends what the place looked like. I heard one 5th grader on the phone, talking rapidly, trying to explain everything.

Clapping my hands together loudly to get everyone attention, I told them that all the parents were here, including some special guests like Bella's father, the school principals of elementary, middle, and high school, and the old dance teacher. An excited chatter started up again when I mentioned this. I had to call for attention three times before there was silence again.

"Alright. Is every one in costume?" A chorus of 'Yes's resounded back to me. "Alice, have you checked everyone?"

She nodded. "They're all ready."

I clapped my hands. "Awesome! Now, we have about fifteen minutes left, so I want everyone who hasn't stretched yet to stretch now." Several girls moved to the floor to begin their stretches. "We don't need any cramped muscles today. Now, does everyone remember the order? Repeat it back to me."

Everyone nodded. "Group numbers go first, starting with the youngest to the oldest, than solo, than we go all together," spoke up Riley, a 3rd grader who liked to be the one to give the correct answer.

We had chosen one girl from each age group to represent the whole class in a solo number based on talent and group vote. I nodded. "Good job. Has everyone got that?"

"Yes, Miss Lisa!"

"Alright. Everyone will wait back here until Alice and I escort you out. I don't want anyone talking or laughing while others are performing. You can hear everything out there. Got it?"

Everyone replied in the affirmative.

"And remember girls, we can't be waving or trying to get someone's attention during the whole performance. Once you are on stage, you what?"

"We're there only to perform!"

"Good job."

I glanced at my watch. "Ten minutes everyone. Check your costumes, finish your stretches, and I need the first group to line up. Who's first?"

"Us!" chimed the seven kinder garden girls. They moved to form a line in front of the door, squirming with excitement. Alice came to stand by me, smiling like a little girl at Christmas time. I had offered to let her give the opening welcome speech, but she had declined sweetly, telling me as founder of the dance company I should give it. Now, I was wringing my hands nervously. I had only given a speech once before, in my college debate class. Though I had not been booed off the stage, there was little response and I had barely passed the class. Alice saw how nervous I was and she took her hand in mine, offering me a reassuring smile. "You'll do great!"

I nodded, cracking the door open. Suddenly I felt like I was 7 again, waiting to go out to perform my first solo ever in front of hundreds of people. I stood up straight and cleared my throat, pushing past my nerves as I made my way to the stage. Emmett had set up the stereo and speakers, along with a little wireless mic. The video camera he had brought to record the whole night was being manned by Jasper in the back. He handed it to me as I came to the steps leading to the stage. "Good luck, sis."

I nodded and made my way up to the middle of the stage. Watching me was probably the whole town of Forks, including some from Port Angeles and other surrounding towns.

I tapped the microphone nervously, causing some slight feedback. "Sorry," I muttered, mostly to myself. Putting on a smile, I put the mic to my mouth.

"Hello, parents and friends of our dancers!"

Clapping filled the room, along with a few hoots and hollers from the younger people in the crowd. I spotted John sitting in the front row, clapping wildly, wearing a dazzling smile. When he saw me looking at him, he gave me two thumbs up.

"My name is Lisa Freeman, founder of Fork's little dance studio." Another round of applause. I waited until they were done before continuing. "Thank you all for coming out on this extremely important night. I'm sure everyone in this room has seen the anticipation and excitement this night has caused for all the girls. They are all super excited to be able to perform for you tonight."

Pulling out a hand out from my back pocket, I waved it in the air. "Everyone should have gotten

one of these as they walked through the door tonight. On it you will see the list of all the girls dancing tonight, the names of the pieces, and who choreographed them. I would like to give a big shoot out to Esme and Alice Cullen, who helped me start up this studio and helped with dance lessons, and the rest of the Cullens for making this night happen. I'm sure you noticed the exuberant amount of decorations in here." A ripple of laughter went through the crowd. "Alice is the one to thank for that. Without her, this gym would still look like a gym and you wouldn't have any fancy little hand outs." Again there was soft laughter.

"Alright, let's get this started, shall we?" Clapping again ensued and some parents even stood. "The first group coming out is the kinder garden class. They will be performing a piece from The Swan Lake." Wild clapping followed me as I made my way down the stage. In the locker room, everything was dead silent, everyone looking at me with eager expressions. I motioned for the seven girls to go ahead. "Remember," I whispered as they passed by, "Bow after you're done!"

There was the tapping of fourteen little feet as they moved into position on the stage, and then the swell of music. A soft murmur went over the other occupants of the locker room.

"Shh," I reminded them.

Alice moved towards me quietly. "That was a great speech you gave," she whispered into my ear.

"Thanks."

"But you didn't have to say anything about me."

"Of course I did!"

She shook her head. "No, really, you didn't." But she was smiling from ear to ear.

"You'll enjoy it later," I said with a wink.


	22. Chapter 22

22.

"That was amazing, Lisa!" Esme had both of her hands on her face. She shook her head slowly in amazement. "You did such a good job with these kids."

"You did so much, too, Esme."

She shook her head, laughing. "Now, that's silly."

"Oh? I don't think so. You helped a lot."

She laughed again, but didn't deny it this time.

As I scanned the room, several of the parents met my eyes and mouthed 'thank you', giving me thumbs up. Many of them had already come up to me to shake my hand and congratulate me on pulling together an amazing performance. I had modestly turned all the attention to Alice and Esme, claiming they had done most of the work, who had in turn denied this and put all the praise back on me. John had stood beside me the whole time, rubbing my back, and beaming from ear to ear.

I noticed Charlie Swan making his way towards us, Bella at his elbow. He walked slowly due to the cane he had to use. His old age showed on his face and in the way he walked. The man had seen a lot and held strong. Bella had once told me he was 89.

He reached us and looked me up and down. I wondered what all those eyes had seen. "So you're Lisa Freeman," he croaked out.

I nodded and shook his extended hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh please, call me Charlie."

I nodded and smiled. "Bella has told me a lot about you. She says you were a wonderful father."

"She said you were a wonderful dancer and teacher. I guess she's right about some things."

"Dad," Bella said softly.

Charlie chuckled softly, ending with a cough. "It's alright. I did what I could for her, but my Bella took care of herself."

We were silent for a moment, Charlie's eyes clouding over with memory. Finally his gaze moved to John. "Who's this handsome fellow, then?"

"This is my husband, John."

They shook hands. "Nice to meet you, boy. You make sure this girl here doesn't get away from you. She's a keeper."

"I know it, sir."

"Oh, you people need to call me Charlie!" he huffed out.

"Dad, maybe you should sit," suggested Bella calmly. Edward appeared at his father-in-law's other elbow to help if needed. Charlie waved him away. "I've been standing on my feet for 90 years, I think I can stand a little longer."

Bella and Edward let him be. Charlie seemed to have forgotten about John and I as he said, "Bella, where's my beautiful granddaughter?"

Just then, Renesme skipped up, Jacob at her side. "Hello, Papa."

"Ahh, my beautiful granddaughter."

The two embraced. Charlie turned back to me, having not forgotten me like I thought. His mind was still sharp. I wondered if he let anything touch him. "I hear you and Renesme play and sing together."

I nodded. "She's a great player with a beautiful voice."

"She gets that from her father. Bella never really had much tolerance for piano."

Edward and Nessie chuckled, while Bella rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Okay, Dad."

"Well, girl, you've got lots of talent." Charlie's cane smacked down on the ground for effect.

"Thank you, Charlie."

"'Course." Then Charlie turned back to his family and John and I moved away. Most of the parents were begin to leave. I said goodbye to my students, reminding them classes would start again in the fall. I saw Bella and Edward leave with Charlie, probably to take him home.

When everyone had left, the remaining Cullens moved to take down all the decorations and the stage.

"John, why don't you go home? You look tired."

Renesme appeared at my side. "Do you need me to take him home? Jacob was going to drop me off there."

I nodded. "Thanks, Nessie." She bounced off, joining her other half. "Is that okay?"

"I could stay and help," John offered.

"No, we can get this done ourselves. It won't take too long."

John nodded and moved to join Nessie and Jacob, who were standing at the door waiting for him. I grabbed his hand before he could get away. "Thanks for the support today," I whispered.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You did wonderful," he mumbled. Then he kissed me softly on the lips. "Have fun," he added before going outside.

My heels clacked on the wood floor as I moved to help Rose pull down the starlights above the stage. "You did great," she said after a moment of silence.

I glanced at her in surprise, never having known her to give out compliments freely. "Thanks, Rosalie."  
>She nodded. "Made me wish I could dance."<p>

"It's never too late to learn."

She was wrapping the cord around one of the five star arms. There was a slight halt in her movement when I said that, but she continued on a second later. "No, it's not for me."

I decided not to object. She seemed to not want to discuss it. We were nearly done when she spoke up again, this time quietly. "I took lessons a long time ago, back when I was human. Nothing as fancy as this, just some ballroom." She paused for a moment, relieving something from the past. Finally, she added shortly, "I wanted to learn so I could dance with my husband at my wedding."

She pushed the last star into the box they had come in, signaling that the conversation was over. I wanted to apologize but thought better of saying anything else. I knew Rose to be the type of person to want to leave the sensitive stuff alone. If she ever got mushy, it was at her own terms, and when she thought it should be over, she expected others to leave it at that. She moved off the stage and went to help Esme with something else. As I got off the stage, I grabbed the box of lights and signaled to Emmett that the stage was ready to pack up. He and Carlisle were going to dismantle it. Jasper was just finishing up putting away the sound equipment and camera, and the girls were almost done with the rest of the lights. Alice was rolling up the gauze from the floor. I moved over the floor, picking up handouts and tissues.

With everything packed into the cars, we set off for the house. Alice sat up front with me in my little convertible. Esme had decided to go with Carlisle and Jasper. The radio was playing softly, a love song I recognized from the 90's. Alice didn't say much, staring out the windshield most of the time.

I couldn't bear the silence much longer. I had made up my mind to tell Alice tomorrow, but I wondered why I should wait. "Alice," I whispered softly. We were about halfway from the school. She turned to me, smiling softly. "Are you mad at me?"

Shock crossed her face. "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Well, I haven't told you what happened with Aro, yet."

She turned all the way in her seat until she was completely facing me. "I'm not mad because I don't know what happened. I already know what you're going to tell me. I'm just…upset because you haven't actually told me yet."

I nodded slowly. "I see."

Her hand appeared on my thigh. "I don't want you to think I'm mad at you, Lisa. You have every right not to tell me if you don't want to."

I turned my face to hers for a split second before looking back at the road. "I want to tell you, you know I do."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nod. "I know."

We didn't say anything else for a little bit. The song on the radio had changed to a classic rock ballad. "I just don't know what to do with it, Alice. I don't even know where to begin to think about how to handle it."

Alice responded with a strong reply. "You don't have to think about it. Neither option is acceptable. We will not loose you or John. We just have to figure out a way to let Aro know we won't be budging and that we refuse to let him push us around with threats."

I glanced at her again. Her face was set, determination burning bright in her eyes.

"I won't loose you, Lisa."

I squeezed her hand, which was still resting on my leg. "I know," I replied softly. "You know I won't leave."

She nodded. "I know." She smiled. "And anyways, none of those Volturi's have as good a fashion sense as I."

I was thankful Alice had popped in a joke. "Yup, you're the queen."

She gave a mock bow. "Why thank you, kind lady."

I chuckled. "Okay, calm down there, your majesty."

She smiled. "Thanks for talking to me about it, Lis. You know that means a lot to me."

I nodded. "Of course. That's what best friends do, right."

She smiled brightly. "Yes."

I could still hear the clicking of the cooling car engine as I made my way to the cabin. Somewhere an owl hooted. I found myself thinking about Charlie Swan. I wondered what it was like watching all the people you know die or leave. Everyone he had known had moved on or was long dead. I touched the locket around my neck that Bella and Edward had given me.

I pushed the door open and silently made my way to the bedroom. John was breathing deeply, his arm wrapped around his pillow. I kissed him softly on the cheek.

I was just changing my clothes when there was a knock on the door. _Alice_, I thought. I hurriedly pulled on fresh jeans and padded into the living room. I pulled on a pair of boots out of habit before answering the door.

The night was blacker than I remembered. The owl must have flown off because I couldn't hear it. In fact, I couldn't hear anything.

"Alice?" I called softly into the night.

Nothing. "Hello?"

Silence filled my ears. I stepped out of the doorway, scanning the surroundings. Everything looked exactly the same.

I was about to turn around to go back into the house when a hand clasped over my eyes. Somebody stuffed something into my mouth before I could scream. Cold, hard hands pulled my wrists together behind my back and turned me back towards the forest. There was the clicking of metal on metal as two cuffs were snapped unto my wrists. I bit into the rag in my mouth in furry, releasing the sweet taste of blood onto my tongue. My eyes rolled back into my head as I realized what kind of blood it was: human. My fangs broke out and hungrily I sunk them into the cloth, going into a slight frenzy.

A voice stopped me cold, bringing me to my senses. "Hello, Lisa." The hand left my face, leaving me to look into cold, burning red eyes. "Are you ready to join me yet?" Then a bag was pulled over my eyes.


	23. Chapter 23

23.

Aro's hand gripped my arm tightly, dragging me along for miles. I couldn't focus on where we were going because of the rag in my mouth. No matter how hard I fought, I could still taste that sweet human blood on my tongue, rolling down my throat, making me loose my control.

Suddenly, the air around us changed. We emerged from the trees and onto a gravel area. Someone ahead of us opened a metal gate, which we were lead through. Pushing past the emotions and the taste of blood, I could smell gasoline.

"Where are you taking me?" I screamed into the cloth stuffed in my mouth.

Aro chuckled darkly. "What was that, dear?" Someone beside him shuffled closer to us and laughed slowly.

They pulled me along until we reached a building, where I was pulled up stairs. Pushed down into a huge leather chair and strapped in, I began to realize what was happening. The screaming of jet engines and the sensation of being lifted up from the ground confirmed my suspicions. They were taking me to Italy.

A sob escaped from my throat but was muffled by the damp cloth in my mouth, which had turned icy and disgusting. I began working at it and thirteen minutes later, the rag fell out of my mouth and landed on my chest, where it stayed, hidden by the bag over my face. I sucked in a silent breath of air to get rib of the gross taste in my mouth. My throat began to burn several minutes later and all I could think about was wanting more blood. I had never believed the Cullens when they told me the power human blood had over a vampire until tonight. As my throat burned on, I realized that they were absolutely right.

John's face floated in front of my eyes and I sucked in another breath. _Please_, I begged mentally to no one in particular. _Please don't hurt my baby._ Another sob filled my throat, but this time I pushed it back, not daring to make a sound. _What will they do to me?_

The plane traveled on, seemingly endlessly. No sound reached my ears except for the drone of the engine. I wondered if anyone was even in the cabin with me. I kicked the front of my chair with my heel to see if I could get a response out of anyone, but there was nothing. Slowly, I rotated my head around, though I couldn't see anything. Still no response; I was alone. Aro was probably in the cockpit with the pilot, unless he was the one flying the plane.

I pulled my head down to my knees and shook it violently until the bag came off. Artificial light flooded my eyes as I managed to get the cloth around my eyes off using my knee. The first thing I saw was the tan leather seat I sat in and the white carpet under my mud-covered boots. As I lifted my eyes up, I saw that the cabin was indeed empty. A door to my left led to the cockpit and another on my right, which hung slightly open, to a bathroom. All the blinds were drawn, the only light coming from small reading lamps positioned every 6 inches or so on the ceiling. A plasma TV hung on the wall next to the bathroom door. Except for more chairs like the one I sat in, the rest of the room was completely empty. I wondered what the Volturi did to make enough money to be able to afford a private jet.

I pulled my concentration back in and focused on the cuffs on my hands, holding them behind my back. Pulling my hands apart, I tried to bend or break the metal. I felt a small budge and wondered what kind of material the cuffs were made of that they could stay strong even with the vampire strength I was using to try to break them. I kept pulling as I glanced around. A small clock above the cockpit door told me it was 2 in the morning. I wondered if the Cullens had realized I was gone yet. My thought train stopped when something dawned on me.

_Why didn't you see this coming, Alice?_

Aro had someone with him, someone who was keeping us hidden from Alice's sight. I groaned in frustration. Did this man have to think of everything? I closed my eyes and mentally pushed myself to speak to Edward.

_Come on, come on._

What happened next was not what I had expected. The door to the cockpit slammed open angrily, smacking against the wall behind it. I swiveled my head around and came face to face with Aro.

"Trying to get a message out to your little friends, are you?"

I bit down on my lip, refusing to answer him.

"Well, you should stop trying. You cannot get through the shield I have around us. Your little Cullens won't know what hit them when they find you gone, and they won't know where to find you either."

Before I could stop myself, I heard myself ask, "You're not taking me to Italy?"

Aro chuckled darkly. "Italy, yes." I expected him to say something else, but his mouth stayed closed.

I growled at him and tried to lunge for him, forgetting my arms were cuffed behind my back. He stepped back just in time, letting me fall to the carpeted floor with a smack. Slowly he turned and made his way back to the cockpit.

"You know, Aro, one day you're going to realize you're not as smart as you think you are."

I heard him growl in response before the door slammed closed, leaving me alone once again.


	24. Chapter 24

24.

_John's perspective –_

The light filtered in through the thin curtains covering the windows of the little cabin I lived in with Lisa, announcing that a new day had begun. I had been calling this home since almost a year ago, and if I were honest with myself, it was the only place I'd truly felt at home in. I had always been one step behind everyone my entire life, stumbling through life, until my eyes fell on a beautiful angel named Alisa. She had pulled me into sync with her steps and nothing had ever been the same. Loosing Lisa had been like growing up with a family and then finding out many years later that the people you thought were your parents were actually not; your real parents had abandoned you on the step of a Catholic church for the priest to find.

I rolled over sleepily, letting my free hand fall on the pillow next to me, which was empty. It still came as a shock to me some mornings that Lisa wasn't there next to me. I groaned and glanced at the clock: 9:16. I pushed the covers off me and sat up, my head lolling around as I fought off the last bit of sleep. A yawn made me stretch out my whole body. Then I slipped on my slippers and shuffled into the kitchen. Something I could not place my finger on stopped me in the doorway. I took a sniff of the air. The smell of coffee and eggs was not there. Lisa must have forgotten to make me breakfast, perhaps thinking I would sleep longer. Maybe she was with Alice.

"Lisa?" I asked the silent cabin. No response came to me. Louder this time, "Lisa?"

I padded into the living room, expecting to find Alice and Lisa with their heads bent together, whispering. But the chairs were empty. "Lisa," louder again.

My sleepiness fell off me as panic started to take over. Where could she be? I ran to the door and yanked it open. Somewhere a blue jay sang. Bright sunlight filled my eyes, making me squint and hold my hand against it as I scanned the woods. "Lisa?" Empty.

Motion to the left of me caught my attention. Emmett was making his way towards me. I wondered if he had heard me call out. "What's up?" he called while he was still a few feet away from me.

"Where's Lisa?"

He shrugged his huge shoulders, still moving towards me. He sped up a little when he saw the distress on my face. "What is it?"

I spun back to face the inside of the cabin, making sure I hadn't missed her. Only an empty house stared back at me. "She's gone," I whispered mostly to myself in disbelief, and then louder, "She's gone, Emmett."

By now he was right by my side, crowding me in the doorway as he scanned the empty room. He spun around, heading back to the house, saying, "Well, maybe –"

He was cut off by something. The soft breeze and slight red blur told me someone else was coming fast, and suddenly Alice materialized before me. Her red blouse was the flash of color I had seen. "Oh my…" started Alice as she scanned the room.

"Alice," said Emmett, concern written in his voice. "What is going on?"

"I don't know!" cried Alice in utter frustration, grabbing at her hair madly. "I don't know, I can't see a thing. Oh no, oh no," she muttered over and over as she paced in front of me. By now most of the others had found us. I saw them whisper to each other as Alice wore a path into the ground.

"Alice, what is it, honey?" said Esme.

For a minute, Alice didn't seem to hear the question. Then she stopped all of a sudden and faced the others, completely ignoring me. "She's gone. Someone's taken her, I can feel it!" Then she was grabbing at her hair again, pacing once more. "But I can't see anything!" A growl erupted from her throat, sending a shiver down my spine. I had never seen Alice so angry before. In fact, I had only ever seen any of the Cullens angry once or twice.

"What does that mean?" I shouted in frustration, wanting someone to pay attention to me. It was my wife that was gone, for Pete's sake!

Carlisle's face turned towards me. "Someone has taken Lisa, someone who is using a shield to keep her hidden from us."

"If only we knew who had taken her, we could find her!" ranted Alice.

"We can't find her?" I stuttered in disbelief. Couldn't these vampires do everything? Where had this gone so wrong?

Edward was shaking his head. "It was Aro," he muttered.

Alice stopped. "What?" she nearly shouted.

Edward didn't seem to notice, merely moving his eyes to her for a split second, before they moved to Carlisle's. "I should have seen this coming, Carlisle. Aro was hatching some sort of plan when he was here, though he didn't mention anything about kidnapping."

"Then how do you know he did it?" I asked, exasperated. Standing still like this while my wife was who knew where was getting on my nerves. My hand began to twitch for the need of something to do.

"I know he did it because kidnap is the only thing he _didn't_ think about."

Carlisle nodded slowly, understanding. "He purposefully kept it out of his mind."

Edward nodded, horror marring his features. He turned his sorrowful eyes to my face. "I'm so sorry, John."

"Edward, stop beating yourself up about this. Aro didn't want us to know about this, so there was no way we could have known."

"So how do we find her?" I said slowly, trying to control my unrest.

Everyone exchanged slow glances. "If Aro has taken her," said Carlisle, "he'll most likely take her to Volterra."

"Volterra?"

He looked at me. "Italy."

A moan left my mouth. _Italy?_

"We've no time to loose," Jasper spoke up.

Carlisle nodded. "He's right. Let's pack, everyone. Bella, call Jacob and ask him to stay with John."

I took a step forward, waving my hands in the air. "Leave me! No, no, no, I'm coming with you."

Emmett stopped me with a hand to my chest.

"It's really best if you stay here," said Carlisle. "For all we know, this is all a lure to get you in Aro's hands. You're safer here."

"This is absurd," I shouted past Emmett. "You can't possibly think about leaving me here."

Emmett ground his teeth, and I could see he was regretting what he was about to say. "The decision's been made, John. It's best," he added.

"Argh!" I screamed, turning to punch the wall of the cabin. Pain shot up my arm but I ignored it. They couldn't keep me here! When I turned around, I was alone in the forest. This was not happening, but I wasn't sure how to stop it. I ran to the house as fast as I could, pulling up panting.

Jasper's eyes landed on me first. I couldn't read his expression, but I felt a wave of peace wash over me. I tried to push it off, but it was too strong. "Jasper, please," I whispered weakly. I didn't know much about what Jasper could do, only what Lisa had told me; some sort of mood manipulation.

Jasper cast a glance at Esme, who came to my side, softly asking me to sit down. I obeyed, sinking down into the plush couch. She sat down next to me and began rubbing my back slowly. The tears came before I could stop them. Ashamed, I hid my face in my hands, trying not to make a sound.

"Please," I begged her. "Please let me go with you."

"John, it's really not such a good idea."

_Don't you think I realize that_,I wanted to ask. I knew exactly how weak and useless I was compared to them. But it was my wife's life on the line, and I refused to be left behind. I grabbed Esme's hand and squeezed it as tightly as I could. The cold of her hand cooled the sweat on mine. "You don't understand how it would kill me to be left here."

I recognized the look that flashed in Esme's eyes. She knew exactly what I was talking about. I pressed in, hoping to break her. "My wife is out there somewhere. I've already lost her before, having no clue what happened to her. I won't let that happen again. Please, Esme."

She broke down and glanced at Carlisle. I saw his shoulders lift and fall in a sigh. Esme stood and walked towards her husband, where they stood quietly talking. Once in a while one of them would glance at me.

With the edge of my sleeve, I madly wiped off the tears from my face. When I opened my eyes, Carlisle was standing in front of me.

"Against, my better judgment," he said heavily, "I have decided to let you come."

I jumped up, but he stopped me before I could do anything.

"You need to understand, though, that if anything happens to you, Lisa will be very… unhappy with us. So you need to do exactly what we tell you. There will be no going off on your own, and if we tell you to stay at the hotel, you are not allowed to leave." He sensed my hurt and frowned. "I hate to do this, but it's for your own good. You're no use to Lisa dead."

I nodded slowly. "Thank you," I whispered.

I reached the door when I heard Carlisle mutter, "I hope I won't have to regret this decision."

My bag was packed in under 7 minutes. I flew through the room, making sure I had the essentials. I was back at the Cullens' doorstep in 12 minutes. They were already waiting for me, all the bags packed in the cars. Emmett came to stand beside me, silently, like a tower. Jasper kept glancing at me anxiously, maybe waiting for my emotions to go haywire again, but I kept them skillfully under control.

The ride to the airport was done in silence. I was squished in between Emmett and Jasper in the backseat of Carlisle's car. I felt like everyone was avoiding speaking to me, probably mad at me, but I couldn't apologize for my behavior.

I was stunned when we drove into a hangar, and not into the airport parking lot like most people would. The plane sitting inside the hangar was big enough to seat twelve comfortably.

"A private plane?" I whispered in awe.

Emmett nodded, something close to a smile popping up on his face.

I was the last one inside. Emmett stood waiting inside for me, closing the door behind me and sealing it shut. I found a seat near the back, Emmett choosing the chair next to me. That's when the jitters and impatience came back to me. The plane ride to Italy would probably last an eternity, which was not going to help my nerves, which were already at the breaking point.

Jasper had chosen the seat in front of me, and he now turned in the seat to glance back at me. He looked me up and down with a cautious eye. "You okay back there?"

"Huh? Sure."

He seemed unconvinced, giving me one more look-over, before turning back around. I glanced at Emmett and Rose, who was wrapped up in a magazine; or skillfully ignoring me.

"So, are you my bodyguard or something?"

Emmett glanced at me with a grin on his face.

I nodded. _Of course, he is._

My fingers began taping the armchair impatiently. Emmett glanced at them once, making me stop. I glanced at my bag. I had brought nothing to keep me occupied on the plane ride. My eyes began to wander around, sometimes staring out the window, sometimes at the various people inside the cabin. I caught myself tapping my fingers once in a while. _Lisa, why do these things have to happen to us?_

The monologue I was having with myself was helping me out a little bit, but then I lost my cool and kicked the back of the seat in anger. Angry tears burned in my eyes.

_I'm sorry, Lisa. This is all my fault, my stupid, stupid fault._

Jasper turned around again, though this time he looked at Emmett, not me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmett get up and whispered something to Carlisle, who glanced at me under Emmett's arm before nodding. He pulled something out of his carry-on bag and handed it to Emmett, before kissing his wife and standing up to join Edward in the cockpit. A hand appeared in front of me. Two round tablets lay in the dead center of the icy palm. I looked up into Emmett's eyes.

"To help you sleep," he answered to my unspoken question. Sometimes I wondered if all of them couldn't read minds.

I thought about objecting but saw no point, so I took up the two tablets and swallowed them dry, though Emmett offered me a water bottle. 3 minutes later, the world slipped away from me as I slid into the darkness.


	25. Chapter 25

25.

_Lisa's perspective –_

The change in air pressure told me we were descending. I had pushed open the blinds on the window near my seat and I watched as the clouds parted and slowly, the ground came closer and closer. Houses and cars grew in size as the plane got closer to the landing strip in the middle of a bustling town.

I had rummaged through the whole plane as we traveled, looking for some small clue as to where exactly they were taking me, anything I might be able to tell Edward or Alice so they could find me. There was not much in the plane. It had probably been cleaned out before I was put on it, or maybe they never kept anything on it at all. I had finally managed to break free from the cuffs after about an hour of working at them. It was the chain between the two cuffs that had broken first. I had not bothered to try and get them off, just as long as my hands were free. The cuffs hung on my hands like bracelets, rattling with every move I made.

Several times I had tried again to see if I could get anything to Edward mentally, but each time I hit a brick wall. Aro hadn't appeared again.

The cabin looked like a tornado had come through it. I wasn't concerned with hiding the fact that I had gone through everything. Aro would just find out in a second with the touch of a hand to my skin.

The plane landed smoothly and sailed into a private hangar. I sat for several minutes before Aro appeared through the door. He scanned the room slowly. A small grin crept up on his face. Then it was gone and he walked back over to me. Pulling out a roll of duct tape, he tapped my mouth shut, covering my eyes with the cloth that was still around my neck, and replacing the bag over my head. Holding my hands behind my back, I hoped Aro wouldn't notice the broken cuff links. I was pulled roughly off the chair by strong hands and pushed down the small steps onto concrete ground.

Aro's hands were gloved to make sure I wasn't able to look into his head, which made him blind to what I was thinking as well. Smell and hearing were the only two senses I had left, so I used them as best as I could, listening for every little sound and smelling the smells in the air.

There were no other people around that I could tell as I was pushed into a little side office I had spotted in the hangar and forced down on a creaky office chair. Receding footsteps told me Aro had left me alone once again.

_Not so smart, Aro_.

My hand flashed out from behind my back and clanged into a metal desk. I quickly pulled my hand back in and waited for someone to appear. Nobody came, so I moved my hands slowly, pulling off the hood and cloth over my eyes. My eyes scanned the room as I sat motionless, holding the bag in one hand the rag in the other, ready at any moment to put them back on. A door in front of me was shut tight, probably locked shut with some crazy deadbolt mechanism. I sat in a rickety metal office chair with tears revealing yellow padding underneath the olive green plastic. In front of me sat a rusted old metal desk with drawers on each side. The desk was clear, except for a flight log and a cup filled with pencils. I read through the log quickly, finding nothing suspicious. All the flight destinations were coded, written out in numbers and letters. By the amount of number I guessed longitude and latitude. I glanced at the last entry. Aro hadn't filled in the last destination yet, which is where we were now. I lifted my eyes to the dirty egg white walls. On one side hung some posters explaining the aerodynamics of a plane and a list of several easy-to-fix problems if something went wrong. A file cabinet sat near the door, though I was positive it would be locked. Glancing through the little window in the door, I noticed that it was still light outside. So Aro was waiting for the cover of dark to move me. I saw that the coast was clear, so slowly I moved my hands to the drawers in the desk checking to see if any were open while keeping my eyes straight ahead, looking through the window. All the drawers were locked except for the middle one, which was just filled with more pens and pencils and a few pads of sticky notes. Two loose paper clips rattled as I shut the drawer after one quick glance down. I thought about forcing the other drawers open but decided against it. I didn't want to alert anyone to the fact that my hands were loose.

My eyes fell back down to the flight log. Several numbers matched up together, and through the time of arrival and departure for each, I figured out the numbers were for Forks. From the geography class I had taken in college, I recognized most of the others as somewhere in Italy, probably Volterra, the Volturi capital. One number that popped up a few times confused me; according to the latitude and longitude, it was somewhere in Italy, but it did not match the numbers for Volterra. This was the number I decided to memorize; being a possible unknown location, it was the only number the Cullens would need if I was not being taken where they might first look. Of course I could be anywhere, but it was better than nothing.

Ten seconds later, my ears detected the sound of footsteps approaching. I pulled the rag back over my eyes, followed by the bag. The door creaked open just as I pulled my hands behind my back and Aro's scent filled the room.

"Come on, Lisa. Let's go to my little castle and see what kind of goodies you keep hidden in your brain."


	26. Chapter 26

26.

_John's perspective –_

"John? John, dude, wake up."

My head fell forward and rolled around as someone shook me. Groggily, I opened my eyes and muttered, "I'm up, I'm up."

The shaking stopped and my body fell forward without someone holding on to it. The snapping of my head shook me completely out of sleep. "Wha-?" I uttered I surprise and looked around. The jet engines were quiet and I could see the gravel runway out the window. Still, I asked stupidly, "Are we there?"

Emmett, who had been the one to violently shake me awake, nodded. "Yeah. Volterra, Italy, home of the Volturi and nice Italian people."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stood and shaky legs. "What did you give me?" I asked Emmett as he grabbed my arm to steady me.

"Maybe one would have been enough," he muttered.

I laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, you think?"

Emmett elbowed me and walked behind me off the plane. The bag I had packed sat on the tarmac, bathed in lamplight. Emmett went to grab it but I stopped him. "I got it," I said as I heaved the bag onto my shoulder, where it dug into my flesh. Maybe I had packed a little bit too much, but I wasn't sure what I should prepare for. The night air was warm, though not humid. I set down my bag to shrug off my jacket. The Cullens were already making their way towards a parking lot situated on the left side of the runway. I hurried after them, glancing around. The airstrip appeared to be private, only used for noncommercial planes. Carlisle had made his way to a little shack and was handing a big Italian man some cash. I wondered if the Cullens' kept different currencies just lying around the house.

In return for the wad of cash, the man gave Carlisle two sets of keys and pointed towards a closed off area of the parking lot, where the rental cars were kept.

"Edward?" Carlisle asked as he turned around.

Edward nodded in reply to an unspoken question. Carlisle tossed him the second set of keys. "Let's go."

I looked at Emmett as we began walking again. He walked slightly faster than me, slowing down whenever he got too far ahead. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Hotel."

"Where you're going to lock me up so you can go scouting?"

Emmett glanced at me and I could tell I had read their intentions clearly, but he shrugged.

I jogged until I was right next to the bulking figure of my friend. I lowered my voice, hoping no one else could hear. "You can't do this to me, man."

He looked at me, something close to sympathy crossing his face. He turned his face to look forward and didn't respond for a few minutes. "Look, I know it's hard, but it's really better. The Volturi aren't your average school bullies. They play dirty. There's no reason why we should put you in danger." Then he glanced back at me. "We can handle this, John."

I bit back another comment, nodding my head instead. Everything he said made perfect sense, but I couldn't make it want me to not go with them. I would die for Lisa, though I knew that would not do any of us good. For this reason, just to keep myself alive for her, is why I finally gave in to the Cullens' requests for me to stay at the hotel. Esme decided to stay behind with me; though I was sure it was not just because they were scared I would disobey. Esme wasn't the type of person to seek out fights, and if one could be avoided, she did.

The hotel was probably the most expensive one in town, guessing by the cleanliness and decoration. The room I was going to be sharing with Emmett had two twin-sized beds, covered in gold satin. Paintings of buildings hung on the walls in thick cherry oak frames. A door connected our room with Edward and Bella's.

Esme and I sat on the couch in their huge suite, absolutely quiet. She was scanning through an article on homes in Italy while I flipped through the channels on the big flat-screen TV. I finally found something I recognized and watched in silence, my mind only partly on the flickering images of blown up buildings and gunfire. I pulled out my wallet and ran my finger over the picture of Lisa I kept inside. It was an old picture from when we first started dating. I let my mind wander as I thought about our first date.

"Wasn't sure you'd show up." I stood and pulled out a chair.

She laughed softly, sounding every bit like an angel. "Been stood-up much?"

I nodded, acting ashamed to admit it. I flashed her a smile and she returned it.

"Quite a nice place you picked out for a first date," she commented as she scanned the room. It wasn't a five-star restaurant, but one of my friends had told me the food was five-star quality and the service was excellent. The inside looked like it belonged next to a Chanel store in a fancy mall.

I shrugged. "Wanted to impress you."

She smiled. "Well, you have."

I looked her over slowly, taking in her curling blonde hair and full lips. "You look stunning."

She blushed slightly, looking down at the menu in her hands. A charm bracelet jingled softly as she reached for her water. "Better than the first time you saw me, I'm sure."

I looked at her, unsure of what she meant.

"Well, I'm not sweating now," she added, embarrassed that her joke had not caught on.

I smiled. "That was you sweating? You looked beautiful."

She laughed. "I think I like you already, John Freeman."

"I like you, too."

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until a door slamming shut woke me up. I jerked awake in surprise and looked around, dazed. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Then the events of the last night all came rushing back to me.

I looked towards the door and realized that everyone was back. Carlisle and Esme stood in a corner discussing something quietly. Edward and Bella sat together on the couch opposite me; Bella was murmuring something to Edward, who looked incredibly distressed. I glanced towards Emmett, who was wearing a hole in the carpet with his frantic pacing. Jasper looked scared, unsure of what to do, and Alice was standing next to him, silent. Rose glanced at Emmett, who was still pacing. She seemed unsure of what to do with her hands, crossing and uncrossing her arms over and over, checking her nails, clenching and unclenching her hands.

I looked around the room once again. Suddenly I was very scared to ask what was happening, though I needed to know. When I looked down, I noticed my hand was shaking slightly. Nervously, my eyes kept going around the room, watching each person.

Carlisle and Esme split and she left the room, looking very nervous. I had never seen her this way before. In fact, I had never seen any of the Cullens nervous or unsure in the least bit. Another wave of fear washed over me as I thought about that.

Carlisle was watching me. I couldn't read his expression, which made my stomach squeeze nervously. I felt like I was going to be sick from all the tension in the room.

"What is it?" I croaked out, my mouth having gone dry.

Edward glanced up as if realizing just now I was there. He stared at me in a sort of disbelief, like he was in a trance. I turned to Carlisle, who was standing behind me. "Carlisle?"

Carlisle glanced at Jasper for a split second. "She's not here," he finally said.

My brain went numb and I couldn't process that. "What do you mean?"

"She's not in Volterra. No one has seen or heard from Aro since they left him in Forks."

"Lisa is not in Volterra?" It was all I had heard, and I repeated it numbly. My head fell in my hands as I tried to think through the fog that was crowding my mind. I looked after a few minutes to find that no one had moved. "Where is she then?"

Edward seemed to snap out of his trance. He stood and slammed the wall I anger, leaving a huge dent. He ran his hand through his hair, standing still before turning back around o face me. "We have no idea."


	27. Chapter 27

27.

_Lisa's perspective –_

A door creaked shut behind me. I could hear someone slap a switch. Aro pulled off the bag and rag, allowing me to look around the room. If I had to describe a typical villa, this was it. I stood in a huge hallway, a new chandelier hanging above my head. I would guess that it was been recently put there to replace a candle chandelier. The floor beneath me was pure marble, a milky white color with yellow accents, covered by a deep red and gold rug. A mahogany table stood under a hanging mirror, reflecting back the image of two people, one tall, long hair flowing down over his deep red cape, and the other looking frail and small, blonde hair framing a pale ghostly face. Reflected in the mirror, I could see the painting hanging on the wall behind me. It reminded me of the painting Carlisle had in his office of the Volturi, though this one appeared to be more recent.

Aro tapped my arm. "You can stop pretending your cuffs are still whole now."

I glanced at him and slowly let my arms fall to my sides. I wondered how long he had known, but he didn't say anything else about it.

"Do you like it," Aro whispered to me. Something in the tone of his voice took me by surprise. My attention turned to his face.

"It's… nice," I answered, not wanting to make him think I liked any of this. The gloves were still on his hands.

He motioned to a man, bigger than any I had ever seen, standing in front of a wooden door. The huge bulking figure marched towards me, grabbing me harshly, and pulled me to the door. A putrid odor sat around the man like his own personal bubble, and I could see scars marring his sickly white skin all over. A hood covered his head. He pulled the door open and all I saw was stairs leading into complete darkness. It was as if the walls were absorbing the light; it was nearly impossible for me to see anything, even with my perfect eyesight.

"I'll see you later," Aro chimed after me.

As I stumbled down in front of the man, I wondered if I was going to be locked up in a medieval cell with a skeleton of a man. Finally, when I was sure I would never see light again, a flickering appeared ahead. Soon we can upon a flickering candle and I could see another wooden door. The man reached in front of me to push the door open, motioning me through. He gave me a shove when I hesitated.

The hallway I was now in had nothing but doors on each side. The guard led me to one and shoved me inside.

The room was completely furnished and I wondered if I was in the wrong place. Before I could turn around and ask any questions though, the guard pulled the door shut with a bang. I could hear a deadbolt slide home. I was completely alone.

A queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room. In one corner stood a dresser with a mirror. Two chairs and a small table sat in the other corner, on top of a Persian rug.

I wandered over to the bed, the satin comforter nearly swallowing me whole, and rummaged through the bedside table. I found a key and used it to unlock the shackles, which clattered to the floor. Without thinking about it, I began rubbing my wrists as I looked around the room again. Paintings of vineyards and Italian homes hung on the stone walls.

_Alice, why didn't you see this coming_, I wondered again. The shield I had sensed from before was still there and I wondered if someone was in the room with me for a split second. My head whipped around but I found no one.

A huge wardrobe sat beside the door and I wandered over to it. I pulled it open slowly and gasped in surprise. The smell of mothballs and dust filled me nose as I looked inside. From one end to the other, all I saw were old-fashioned cocktail dresses and fancy ball gowns. I pulled at the skirt of one to examine it.

It was a caramel colored gown, complete with puffy sleeves and a big bow in the back. I wondered how long these dresses had sat here.

I pulled out another dress with looked newer. It was a deep purple strapless dress with beads sown into the front in a beautiful pattern. I ran my hand over the front, feeling the cold satin flow over my hand.

I bit my lip and glanced around the room, though I knew I was completely alone, before pulling out the dress and laying it on the bed. I stood for a minute looking down on it before pulling off my shirt and pants. Carefully I took the dress off the hanger and slipped it on. It fit me perfectly. As I moved to the floor length mirror behind the bed, I felt the satin roll and fall over my skin with every movement.

The person looking back at me in the mirror was stunning. The dress hugged me tightly, the beaded pattern coming down to my bellybutton. I pulled my hair over my shoulders and looked myself up and down over and over again.

The door creaked open and I whirled around, ashamedly hugging my arms to hide the dress. Aro's figure filled the doorway. He chuckled.

"I see you found my little gift for you." Walking to the wardrobe slowly, he ran his fingers over the various dresses. "Most of these are my wife's old dresses. I though you might like some of them, but I also got you some new ones." He turned around. "Like that one," he added. He looked me up and down and I felt dirty all of a sudden. I wanted nothing more to take the dress off just so Aro would stop looking at me like that. But he never gave me the chance. He held his hand out and announced, "Dinner time, my lady."

My mind began buzzing as I tried to think about what he could mean. As we walked, a sense of dread fell over me. Something was absolutely not right about this. I felt like there was someone behind us, following us like a ghost, but something told me not to turn around and look. Silence followed us as we made our way up the stairs, stopping halfway to the top at a door exactly like the other ones. He pushed it open and led me into a room with a huge table in the middle. A candelabrum sat in the middle under an olive green runner, all of the candles lit and casting an eerie glow over the whole room. A tall chair sat at each end of the long table and Aro pulled out one for me, obliging me to sit.

_Get out, Lisa, this is absolutely not safe!_

I shut my eyes for a second to try and calm myself down. I could handle this, couldn't I?

_'Dinner time', what could he have possibly meant by that?_

Aro pulled at his napkin, pushing it neatly into his shirt. His hand shot out and motioned for someone to come.

I could smell it before the maid got anywhere near us. My mind screamed for me to run. My throat began to burn like never before. I could taste it on my tongue, the blood from the rag falling over my tongue. My eyes went wide as I stared at Aro. I dared not to breathe, my nails digging into the table.

But Aro didn't seem to notice my pain. He chuckled as the girl approached, holding a platter with two empty glasses. A long gash ran up her arm, pulsing slightly with blood that trickled down to her wrist, where it fell in large drops, staining the stone floor. Aro licked his lips slowly.

"Nothing quite like it, is there?"

When the girl was standing right next to him, I noticed how beautiful she was. She wore no make-up, her hair pulled back in a messy bun, but there was a natural beauty about her. She had full red lips and a small and slightly pointed nose, giving her an air of sophistication. Her eyes shinning brightly like she was intoxicated with something.

_Venom._

I could see the bite marks all over her skin. My gag reflex kicked in and I sucked in a breath of air. The smell filled my nostrils, burning down my throat like vodka. I gasped and shut my mouth against it.

Aro grabbed the girl's arm, all the humor gone from his face, and licked at the blood dripping from her wound. The girl didn't seem to notice, staring blankly ahead.

"Mmm," hummed Aro, his eyes always on mine. He was begging me to try it and several times I nearly thought I would. The burning consumed my mind, burning at the back of my eyes. I felt like a druggie trying to go clean with a needle lying on the table.

My fangs sliced into my lip and I bit down hard, hoping the pain would distract me, but no such luck.

Aro took one of the wineglasses off the tray. "Some people are not comfortable with drinking directly from the source at first, though that is simply the best."

He held the cup under the girl's arm, squeezing it like a lemon until the blood nearly spilled over in the cup. Then with great skill, he slid the cup across the table to me, where it came to rest right in front of my eyes, not having spilt a single drop.

"Try it," Aro said in a seductive voice.

My mind began to scream for the blood. No matter how hard I tried, the smell seemed to be everywhere, permeating into me. I clenched my eyes shut and gasped. I could not let Aro have his way. I knew if I drank this cup, I would never be able to go back and Aro could do what he wanted with me.

"Aro!" I screamed in complete furry, focusing all my energy on him. I stood up so fast that the chair clattered to the floor. A chunk of the table flew off as I yanked my hands away. The cup fell over, spilling its contents all over the wood table. The smell was everywhere now. The girl seemed to come out of her trance and she stared in shock at the spilled glass.

"_You… will…never…control…me_." I spat at Aro through clenched teeth before turning and storming out of the room. Again I felt a presence behind me, but I blindly walked forward, up the stairs and to the front door. I clawed at it in anger before strong arms grabbed me from behind and dragged me, kicking and screaming, back to my room. My mind went completely numb. He tossed me inside, once again locking the door, never letting me see his face.


	28. Chapter 28

28.

_John's perspective –_

The rest of the night went by brutally. Everyone was either blaming themselves for what happened or deathly silent.

Esme came in around 9 and took one look at me, laying in the couch in the fetal position. My stomach was growling like an angry bear but no one seemed to notice. She walked over to me and slipped her credit card into my hand like it was nothing.

"Go get something to eat before you starve," she said softly, nodding to the door.

I got up slowly and made my way out of the room. The tension that I had felt the whole night left me the minute I stepped outside the door. I let out a sigh and made my way to the elevator.

The café downstairs was bustling with people preparing for morning tours or business meetings. It took me about half an hour of waiting in line before I could order a cup of espresso and toast and eggs. The girl behind the counter gave me a tiny cup filled with strong coffee and a plate piled with sunny-side-up eggs and bread. I took a seat in the corner, away from everyone else chatting away, some in English, others in Italian or various other languages. I was beginning to get a headache from everything that was happening.

"I miss you, Lisa," I whispered to myself. All I wanted was a drink, and I realized that the only thing holding me together all these years was Lisa. I closed my eyes as I fell into a memory.

"What are you doing?" was all I heard her scream as she burst through the door of my apartment. Pills and empty alcohol bottles lay everywhere. My cheek was pressed against the cool glass of my coffee table, a small pile of throw up by my open mouth. I jerked up as Lisa stormed into the room, taking everything in. "What are you trying to do, John, kill yourself?"

She began collecting pills and placing them in the right containers. The empty bottles she tossed in the trash. All the while I sat numbly watching her. The night before was a haze; I could not remember what I had done. All I could remember was the hopeless feeling that had crashed over me like a wave, sending me down into deep depression.

"John," Lisa's voice filled my mind as she sat down beside me on the floor, rubbing my hair. "Baby, what happened?"

I look around the room, trying to remember. "There was so much hurt, I couldn't contain it." I looked at her. "Look at you. You've got it all figured out, this life thing. You're beautiful and respected, with parents that love you to death. You're so perfect," I slurred off, loosing my train of thoughts.

"John," she whispered sadly, taking my face in her hands. "You have so much to live for. You can be someone."

"Can I? Is anyone really going to hire an alcoholic with tendencies to commit suicide."

Lisa had seen her share of my lows. She had found me on several occasions, blacked out, and driven me to the hospital. Why she was still here I would never know. "You're the only thing in my life worth living for, and when I think about loosing you –" A sob stopped me from continuing. She pulled me into her arms and I cried.

"Shh, I'm not going anywhere," she whispered as she rocked me back and forth.

It was the first time I had felt like someone needed me, even wanted me, in a long time. I had grown up believing that the people raising me where my parents, only to find out my real mother was homeless and drunk somewhere, perhaps dead, and my father had left as soon as he found out my mom was pregnant. My mother gave birth to me prematurely, dropped me off at the local church, and stumbled off to get high. It seemed misfortune and tragedy followed me everywhere. My adoptive father couldn't handle living with me anymore and divorced my adoptive mother, who was slowly going insane. After that, she gave herself over to the bottle, and one night she got so blindly drunk that she drove herself off a cliff. I was fifteen, so I was put into foster home after foster home, never staying in one place longer than two or three months. No one wanted me because I was a troublemaker. At age sixteen I discovered drugs and I don't remember anything until homelessness at age eighteen forced me off the habit. Having nothing and no one to live for, I ended up in the hospital after trying to commit suicide, which is where I met Anne Dewell. She was a woman in her sixties who was parked in the bed next to mine, recovering from surgery to remove her cancer. She instantly took me under her wing, giving me some tough love, and sending me through college. She had no children or family to speak of, so she adopted me as her little project. If not for that woman, I would have been dead by the time I was twenty.

Every now and then the memories and scars would creep up again, sending me into a darkness I could not fight. Lisa was the only one who was able to pull me out and get me going again.

A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. I turned my head away from everyone as it traveled down my face to my hand. _Lisa, I need to find you. I'm so lost without you here._

I finished the rest of my breakfast and made my way up the stairs two at a time. I burst through the hotel door with renewed vigor. "Alright, moping around isn't going to help anyone. Let's brainstorm; where else could she be? We need ideas, people!"


	29. Chapter 29

29.

_Lisa's perspective –_

The minute the door was closed I nearly ripped the dress off my body and pulled my own clothes back on. My throat was still burning, though it was better now that I was not surrounded by the smell. Finally I could think clearly.

So Aro was going to try to bribe me to join him by offering me human blood. But I would refuse to play his little games, even if it tore me inside out to resist. I wasn't going to let that man get any kind of control over me.

Oh Alice, where are you?

The shield was still there and I wondered where it was coming from. It had to be somewhere close to be so effective; the guard outside my door? If he had a special power, why was he just a silent guard? Nothing was making sense to me as I tried to sift through everything I had seen and heard since being kidnapped by Aro.

I crawled unto the bed and hugged one of the big fluffy pillows close to my chest, pondering what it could all mean.

_John, I miss you._

Experience told me that John would fall apart if the Cullens didn't find me soon. Everything I had helped him through; fighting the addictions and depression, pulling himself away from the alcohol; had taken us almost two years and had nearly broken us apart many times. But I had seen something in John, something not many people saw, a small light that was just waiting to be fed so it could burn. It was that spark that had made me fight so hard for his sake. When he was finally over it all, he had proposed to me and immediately I had said yes, knowing there was no one else I would ever love like the man I had given my blood, sweat, and tears to for the past two years. He had finished his college, received his degree in business, and gotten an amazing job. My dad had helped John climb the corporate ladder fast, giving him tips and insights into the business. Having a father figure in his life had transformed him into a strong man and I was so sure he would have made an incredible father.

I would do anything to make sure John never fell back into his dark hole. _I won't let that happen again, John. You've worked so hard._

I lost track of time as my thoughts pulled me this way and that, leading me from memory to memory. The lock on my door slid open and a small hooded figure stepped into my room. All I could see of her face were the brilliant red eyes, burning into me. Even before she spoke, I knew who it was. I would recognize those cold eyes anywhere.

"Come," said Jane in a flat voice, and I felt I had no choice but to follow as the big silent guard crowded into the room behind her, demanding me to move with his mere presence.

Again my mind began sending me warning signals as I numbly followed the floating black cape down the hall to a different set of stairs at the other end of the hallway. As we traveled down them, the stench of death and mildew grew stronger.

There was a door at the very bottom of the stairs, looking very ancient and rotten. She pushed it open and all I could see were stone rooms, closed off by steel doors. One door stood open, allowing me to see the cold inside of the room; the only window in the room was covered by metal bars. I shuddered. How had I ever gotten myself into this?

Magically, a ring of keys appeared in Jane's white hand. She used one to unlock the third metal door, beckoning me inside. My moment of hesitation brought forth a harsh push from the guard behind me. The force of his push nearly made me fall into the wall. This room had a window like the other, though it was much smaller and higher up. A sort of table chair sat in the middle of the room, complete with bolted down arm and feet restraints. Blood had stained the wood a dark brown. The room smelled stale and I could imagine the mildew growing all over.

The door closed behind me as I was looking around the room. Before I had a chance to turn around though, crippling pain shot through my whole body and I screamed in terror. The pain was worse than anything I had ever felt before. If my limbs were being torn off my body, it would not have hurt half as much as this. The pain was not only physical but also mental. I gasped for air, suddenly feeling like I was drowning in the pain.

Somewhere in the room I heard Jane chuckle lightly. The pain left as quickly as it had come. "Sit down." She ordered me sternly.

I glanced at the table wearily, wondering if she wanted me to sit there.

"Sit!" she nearly screeched at me. Strong hands grabbed my arms, pushing me down onto the torture table, shackling me in.

I nearly laughed. Any vampire could easily break through these bonds. I began to pull at them, but then the pain was there again. My back arched upwards from the table, my mouth wide in a silent scream. I felt like I was going blind as white light filled my eyes.

"Stop!" I managed to scream.

"Hmm? What was that?"

Jane was right above me, watching me with an amused grin. She glanced at the guard. "Did she ask me to stop?" A giggle erupted from the girl's throat.

The guard merely grunted in reply to her question.

Again the pain left me, feeling absolutely weak and scared to death.

"I assume your smart little brain has figured out why Aro brought you here," Jane said curtly.

I gasped, unable to answer quickly enough.

"Aro has a strange obsession with finding all those… wonderfully talented ones among our kind. And then he becomes so obsessed with this idea of making them his, it literally consumes him. He nearly went mad when he couldn't have that little girl Bella." She spit her name out like it was poison. "But then he found you," she added.

Her fingernail ran against my skin, circling my belly button. "Which is why we're here today. Aro was quite furious that his little blood trick didn't work, though I could have saved him the trouble and told him you were much too strong to simply buckle with that little trick. So he called me in." Again she chuckled.

A sob filled my throat, bursting out from my throat in a wail. With all the intensity of the pain, sadness washed over me, pulling me down into darkness. I screamed in anger when I realized Jane was going to play games with my feelings. I clenched my teeth together, trying to fight off the sorrow.

"Aah, what a little fighter we have here," Jane mussed, smiling darkly. "This will be quite fun. Perhaps too fun…" An evil cackle turned her head up to the ceiling and all I could think of was a mad scientist who had just invented the potion to end the world.

At some point during the night, Aro had wandered into the hallway outside and peeked through the little barred window in the door. But that information was lost inside the raging sea of emotions that Jane was pulling through. She wore a constant look of pure pleasure on here face as she tortured me with pain and anguish, hunger and frenzy. I was unable to move as I was pulled from one extreme to the next, my mind going numb so that I lay absolutely still, fixated only on the feelings. Some part of my mind had been trying to fight, trying to keep me from slipping into this state of helplessness, but at some point even that had failed me.

As time slipped by, the shadows in the room changed as the sun went down and came back up again. Slowly Jane was moving closer and closer to me, looking like she might explode with happiness.

A shadow fell over my face and I unclenched my eyes to see Jane's face inches from mine, wearing a crafty grin, her eyes shinning with amusement.

"Are you having fun?" she asked me.

I opened my mouth but all that came out was a soft gasp as another wave of pain hit me. Suddenly, it was like a spark had reignited that part of my brain that wanted to fight back.

Get out of this, Lisa!

My thoughts began to race, screaming at me. What could I do, I wondered desperately.

Before the answer fully got hold of me, my arm was already moving. I pushed against the numbness and pain and pushed my arm away from my body. My fingers touched cold skin and wrapped around Jane's arm. I squeezed tightly and heard Jane gasp in horror, her facial expressions changing from enjoyment to pure shock in less than a second.

With my hand wrapped around Jane's forearm, I was able to stop the pain from assaulting me and pushed it unto Jane instead.

She fell to the floor, screaming and writhing under my touch. I began to laugh as relief and a sick perverted sense of justice fell over me like a rope tossed out to pull me in. "How does it feel, Jane," I said in a sing-song voice, watching her squirm and beg.

I could feel her trying to make me feel something, but I had the same power she had now, so she was unable to harm me.

Less than a minute had flown by since I first made contact with Jane's skin. Suddenly a huge figure was standing over me, it's arms coming down to grab my from behind. In a split second, I turned around, one hand on Jane, the other pushed out to the giant's chest. He stopped dead in his track as I pushed paralyzing fear into his head.

And that's when I felt it: my ray of hope shone down on me as the guard's shield fell down under the fear. Voices came crashing in on me, bombarding me with information, until I found one that was as familiar as my own skin.

_Edward_, I screamed in my head.

I wasn't sure how it was happening, but somehow I was able to hear everything Edward was hearing, use his gift, though he was nowhere near me.

_Edward! I'm in Italy! _I rattled off the coordinates I had memorized in the plane hangar. _Please find me, Edward, please._

And then it was all over. Jane had used my own tactic against me, stopping the pain I was immobilizing her with. Her arm wrenched out from my grasp and I crumpled to the floor as she took her anger out on me. The growled in pure rage as she grabbed hold of my arm and pulled it off, ripping it at the elbow.

"Bring me a human!" she yelled at the guard, who shuffled off. He was back a few minutes later. Jane pulled the girl into the room and grabbed at her, biting off a chunk of her arm. The girl screamed in terror as blood began seeping out of the wound, spilling unto the floor.

"You won't get away with what you did!" screamed Jane at me as my throat closed up and my eyes began to burn. The smell was so intoxicating and I was weak from all emotional roller coaster Jane had put me on. Before the pain hit me, all I thought was, please let Edward have heard me.


	30. Chapter 30

30.

_John's perspective –_

The TV was playing silently in the background, flashing images of a movie I didn't recognize. "There has to be something we're missing," Edward said in frustration as he pulled at his hair. He was sitting on the couch where I had been sitting, having moved there after pacing the floor when I first came in.

The tension in the room was incredible as everyone brainstormed.

"You're sure there was no one there who had any idea as to where Aro is?" I asked again.

Edward shook his head.

"There's got to be something else," said Alice soothingly, glancing at Jasper. Try as he might, Jasper could not get Edward to calm down.

"This is all my fault," muttered Edward under his breath.

"Stop saying that, Edward," demanded Bella.

Edward growled in frustration but complied.

"Well, what about people who know of places he might go?" suggested Esme suddenly. She had been quiet ever since I emerged back into room.

Alice glanced at her mother in a sort of surprise, probably wondering if Esme was on to something. "Like who?"

"His wife, perhaps. Caius and Marcus might know something."

Bella glanced at her husband with a hopeful look. "Edward?"

In response, he closed his eyes. Everyone was quiet as Edward did his magic. When he opened his mouth, a look of confusion had crossed over his face. "Jane is gone."

Emmett uttered a curse.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Alice was standing now. "This can't be good."

"No one knows where she went either, I'm assuming," Rosalie said.

"Someone had got to know something!" Emmett replied heatedly.

Esme threw him a look that told him to calm down, which he tried to ignore, though he did move from pacing the floor to sitting on the edge of one of the chairs.

"What about the wife," asked Bella.

Edward shook his head slowly. "She doesn't seem to know much either."

"But does she have any clue where he might have taken her?"

"She keeps thinking about a secret house she and Aro sometimes vacation at, but she isn't giving me any clues as to where it is. I don't even know if it's in Italy."

"It could be a start, though," muttered Carlisle.

"Do you remember something about that?" asked Esme, turning to face her husband. Everyone's eyes shifted to him hopefully, but he shook his head.

"Aro never mentioned anything, and if they want it to be a secret, it will stay a secret."

"Until we find it," added Emmett.

"Of course."

There was silence for a while, until something that had been bothering me for a while resurfaced. I turned to Edward. "Why is it that you can't just read Lisa's mind and find out if she knows anything?"

Edward glanced at me. There was no shock on his face so he must have been thinking about that too. "I cannot read her mind at all. It's like there is some kind of shield…"

"Aro's girl, Reneta, could be doing that. If she can protect Aro, she can protect Lisa as well."

"I thought you said that's not what she could do, that her shield was against physical attacks."

Edward glanced around the room before replying. "It is."

"So she shouldn't be able to do that," I said, stating the obvious.

"No," replied Alice darkly.

There was a pause.

"Someone else is preventing you and Alice from seeing anything," Jasper said, speaking quietly, peacefully.

Edward nodded. "There's something about this whole situation that does not sit right with me."

"You're not the only one who think so." Alice was scratching her head, a look of frustration crossing her face. "Whatever Aro is doing cannot be good. If he didn't tell anyone where he was going or what he was doing…"

Edward picked up where she left off. "He's got something that he's working on alone, something he doesn't want the others to know about because…"

"Because it's against the law," finished Alice.

There was silence again as we let this sink in. The movie on TV had ended, and the news was beginning. Headlines in Italian spoke of disasters all around the world, but none could be as terrible as the one we were in right now.

I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Edward had frozen on the couch, all sorts of emotions flying across his features. At the same moment, Alice stopped her pacing, her hand coming down hard on the back of the chair Emmett was occupying. Everything in the room came to a standstill as all eyes focused on either Edward or Alice, waiting. My eyes flew from one statue to the other, unable to stand the wait of knowing what was happening. Time seemed to move into slow motion.

Alice was the first one to move. She barely glanced at anyone as she bolted for the door. A second later, Edward was right behind her, screaming over his shoulder, "Everybody move!"


	31. Chapter 31

31.

I was falling behind everyone as they ran through the lobby of the hotel, which was almost completely empty. Emmett noticed my lagging and grabbed unto my wrist, pulling me along until we reached the street and piled into the cars. Edward and Alice were talking so fast I couldn't understand a word they said, talking over each other as they ran. I was pushed into the car, Emmett coming in behind me, head first, slamming the door just as Edward pulled the car out into the road and sped off.

"What was that about?" I burst out the minute I pulled myself up into sitting position. Edward glanced back at me through the mirror and apparently wasn't too pleased to see I had been dragged along. He glanced at Emmett, who shrugged. I was along for the ride.

"I don't know how she did it, but Lisa got through the shield. She told me where she thought she was."

"What about Alice, what did she see?"

He glanced at Bella, who was sitting next to him before replying, though she wasn't watching him. "Edward, watch out!" she yelled.

He neatly pulled the car back into the right lane. "Lisa is in trouble. Alice was able to piece together that she was where we assumed she was: Aro's vacation house."

"That's where we're headed now. How long?"

He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "We'll be there around ten or eleven."

It was now 7:31. It was going to be a long ride squishes in between Emmett and Rose.

"Any ideas as to what caused the shield?" I asked about an hour into the trip.

Edward glanced up in surprise. No one had said a word in the last hour and he must have forgotten I was here. "I don't know. Aro might have found someone that can put up a mental shield like that."

"Might have?" I didn't think I wanted to know the other alternative he was considering.

Edward glanced at me, and having read my thoughts, stayed silent.

In our hurry to get out the door, Emmett had only been able to grab his shoes, so now he was bent over, tying his sneakers. I grunted as he shifted his weight around to be able to reach his shoes. "Sorry," he muttered into the back of Bella's seat.

Every once in a while, Edward shook or nodded his head in response to some unspoken question and I wondered who he was talking to. The scenery outside had changed. The perfectly timed flashes of light from streetlights faded into the occasional spark of light from little cottages on the hills. The road grew smaller as we moved from the city to the village. Every once in a while my head would snap down and scare me awake, though I never realized I had fallen asleep.

I glanced at the bright green digits shining on the dashboard. We should be there soon if Edward's calculations were correct.

Suddenly the houses disappeared and we drove through miles and miles of vineyards on a one-car road. Occasionally we would hit a pothole that would nearly send me flying to the roof. Bella warned Edward several times to slow down, but he always managed to find his way back to the same jarring speed.

A hill crept into view, on top of which sat a huge old villa. Its white walls reflected the lights of our headlights as we came closer.

"This is it?" I asked as Edward craned his neck over the steering wheel to look at the house.

"Yeah," was all he said.

Everyone suddenly became alert as Edward flashed his beams before turning off his lights to signal that Carlisle should do the same. We slowed to nearly a crawl, which got on my nerves, as approached the huge house in darkness. Only a few lights were shinning in the windows. I could see no movement as I peered out the car window.

Carlisle stopped the car a good ten yards from the house, parking it on the side in the grass. Edward followed suite. Before getting out, he glanced back at me with a frown on his face.

"I'll stay," offered Emmett, but Edward shook his head.

"We need you in there. Rose?"

She glanced at Edward, begging him with her eyes. "No offense to John, but I want to catch this monster and tear him apart for what he's done to us. Sitting out here would be pure torture." She glanced at me. "Again, no offense."

"None taken," I said gruffly. I was annoyed with Edward that he would make me sit in the car, asking people to baby sit me like I was a toddler likely of getting under foot.

He glanced at me. "It's for your own good," he said.

I exhaled in frustration, having forgotten the man could read my every thought. "I'll stay here, I promise."

He looked me up and down as if searching for some reason to trust me. "Okay," he finally said. "Don't move."

I could tell he had raised a teenage daughter by the way he commanded me to stay put. "Fine," I said grimly.

He pulled his head out of the car and shut the door quietly. Rose and Bella had already joined the occupants of the other car, scanning the house for any signs of life.

"I'm sorry, man," whispered Emmett. I glanced at him. I knew he really was when I saw his eyes.

I nodded. "Go. Save my wife."

"You think this is it?" I heard Bella whisper just before Emmett closed the door.

Darkness covered me like a blanket as the little car light went off. The Cullens moved off in complete silence and left me alone. A chill ran down my spine as I watched them leave, and I reached into the front seat to make sure the doors were locked. The sounds of the night pushed through the windows and made my leg shake. I felt like I did when I watched a horror movie, except this time, I was in it. I shut my eyes and tried to think about something else.

A memory floated into my head. Seeing my wife smiling at me in my head calmed me considerably as I sank into my head.

"Wow," I uttered under my breath, completely in awe, as an angel in white made her way down the aisle towards me, her father at her arm. She glanced up at me through the veil and my heart skipped a beat. Could this be happening? My hands broke into a cold sweat as I waited for her to reach me. Her father kissed her on the cheek and she made her way up the three steps to where I stood with the minister. I grinned at her and then turned to face the priest, grabbing hold of her hand. There was a small tremor in her hand and I glanced at her through the corner of my eye. A tear had escaped her eye and was rolling down her pink cheek. A smile that could have lit up the whole world sat permanently on her face. Again my heart skipped a beat when I realized she was going to be mine. To think that she had agreed to marry such a wreck like me!

"Jonathon Lee Freeman, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish her from this day forward for as long as you both shall live?"

A feeling of true happiness bubbled up into my throat as I opened my mouth to say "I do." I choked back a sob as a fat tear rolled down my hot cheek and whispered the two words.

I heard Lisa sniffle next to me as the priest repeated the words to her.

The world was lost to me and the only thing I heard came from my bride's lips as she said, "I do."

The feeling the filled my belly I could never explain. All I know is that I started laughing like a fool as I turned around and pulled Lisa into my arms, smothering her with kisses.

I rolled my head around to look out the car window, staring at the rows and rows of grape vines. "What ever possessed you to marry a man like me, Lisa?" I whispered to the darkness.

Whatever it was, I sure am glad she did.


	32. Chapter 32

32.

_Edward's perspective –_

There was nothing but silence as we made our way up the drive. The house loomed in front of us like a great white ghost, daring us to enter inside and find out what kind of dirty secrets it kept hidden. Carlisle was at the head of the group. He reached the door and tested the knob.

_It's open_, his voice echoed in my head as he pushed the door open slowly and carefully. Not a peep could be heard. I could see inside the house now. A triangle of light shot out from the opening. A marble floor lay ahead of us, flanked by green walls and huge paintings. I saw Carlisle's head move from side to side as he inspected the inside. It was empty; no one was in sight as we all stepped inside. I was the last one in, so I closed the door silently behind me.

_Where do you think she could be? _asked Carlisle as he glanced back at me, looking for direction. I looked around and saw a door ahead, opened slightly, revealing stone stairs. I looked back at Carlisle and held up two fingers to signify we should split up. With one finger I pointed up, and then with two I pointed down. He glanced back at the stairs and nodded. He split us up evenly, signaling who should go where. I was going upstairs with Bella, Carlisle and Esme.

_You go first_, spoke Carlisle in my mind.

Carefully I inched forward, Bella at my heels. I could almost feel her tension; I didn't need Jasper to tell me that. We made our way up the stairs in silence, the others moving away from us as they went down. There was a wooden door at every level. I carefully pushed open each one of them. The first two opened up to pitch black hallways. As I opened the third and last door, an eerie glow of light pushed through the crack and unto the stone wall behind me. I peered into the hallway; empty. Wooden doors like the two we had just passed lined the wall. I checked to make sure no one was inside and stepped into the dimly lit hall. Carlisle came in right behind me.

I moved to the first door on my left, Carlisle to the first on the right, and I slowly cracked my door open. Silence and blackness met me. I peeked around the whole room just incase but saw nothing but a bed and some other furniture.

_These must all be bedrooms_.

I nodded. If we were lucky, Lisa would be in one of these, unharmed, though something in my gut told me this wouldn't be the case.

We moved from door to door in silence. The fourth door I opened gave me a glimmer of hope. Light was shining in the room; all around the space were candles hanging on the walls. I stepped inside and felt my hope shrivel. The room was completely empty. But this was Lisa's room. I could smell her and see she had been here because of the rumpled sheets. A purple gown lay draped over the bed. Something in the room was giving off a stale odor, almost like cold blood.

I growled quietly. "What have you done to her, Aro?" I muttered angrily under my breath.

I moved to the bed and examined the dress. Dark spots stained the left side of the dress; when I lifted it to my nose, I recognized the smell immediately. The blood of humans was a smell you never quite forgot as a vampire.

I threw the dress down angrily and stormed out of the room.

_Everything is clear_, Bella reported. Hearing her voice in my head cooled me down a little. Every once in a while she would let her shield down so I could read her mind. The whole car ride here she had shared her thoughts with me, giving me a running dialogue of what she feared we might find here tonight. I glanced at my true love and nodded. Even in this house of unknown horrors, I couldn't help but think about how much I loved this woman.

"Let's move," I mouthed.

We moved like we were on a hunt, creeping down the stairs. I listened for any kind of noise or thought to alert me as to where the others were. We had just passed the door for the main level when complete silence filled my mind. I nearly tripped over myself in shock.

I glanced back at Carlisle and he looked at me questioningly, but I heard nothing. I turned back around so he couldn't see the angst on my face. Only one time before had this happened, and I wasn't really looking for a repeat.

I moved down the stairs until we came to a door that hung slightly open, spilling light into the stairwell. Sounds of scuffling could be heard from behind it. I glanced back at the others to see if they had heard it and all nodded. I didn't have to hear their thoughts to know what they were all thinking: _let's go_.

I pushed open the door completely and sprinted into what looked like a jail hall. Steel doors lined the walls, complete with little barred windows. I scanned the room and saw what had caused the noise. Emmett must have been advancing the giant who stood blocking a door when he got stopped in his tracks. He hung suspended in the air, hands out like claws, looking very much like a stuffed tiger. Alice, Jasper, and Rose all stood frozen in different positions of attack.

"What the…" I heard Bella utter behind me.

I wasn't sure how I figured it out, but something inside me told me there was some sort of mental magic going on, and it was coming from the huge guard. He was ghostly pale, scars littering his exposed chest. He looked like the Hulk, nearly a head taller than me. His eyes were fiercely red, his mouth nothing but a line. A gross mutation distorted his facial features.

"Bella, your shield!" I shouted just as the giant's eyes shifted to the four of us.

Immediately a shimmery bubble enveloped me and then the rest of us. I heard Emmett fall to the ground as the guard's hold on them was broken by Bella's protective shield.

"What is this, Edward?" Carlisle asked me, sounding slightly worried.

Frustration bubbled up inside before I pushed it down. "I have no idea. I'm completely blind here."

"Me too," murmured Alice as she looked up at me. I knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Aro has created a super ghost."

I heard Esme utter a gasp. "Not like the ones…"

"Like Camilla," finished Carlisle, determination and anger ringing in his words.

A scream rang through the hall, echoing off the doors. "Lisa," we all said in unison, looking past the guard, who stood dumbfounded that he had lost his power, at the steel door. Through the little barred window I could see an old-fashioned asylum bed in the middle of the room. Everything else was hidden, but I was positive Lisa was in that room.

The guard had begun waving his hands around stupidly, uttering words I didn't understand, looking completely lost.

"He's as dumb as rock," said Emmett. "He doesn't have a clue what's happening to him."

"That's probably because Aro never trained him to do anything but defend him and whoever else he commanded him to."

Esme shook her head sadly.

"You're right about that," spoke a cold voice from behind me. "I see you've met my little friend."


	33. Chapter 33

33.

Aro stood in the doorframe, clothed in bloody red garb.

"What have you done here?" Carlisle asked accusingly.

Aro feigned a look of hurt. But before he could speak, I cut him off. "We don't have time for these mind games, Carlisle." I turned to Aro. "Give us Lisa."

Aro chuckled. "I'm afraid Jane is a little busy with her at the moment." Another scream confirmed his statement.

I saw Emmett moving out of the corner of my eye and reached out my hand to grab his arm just as he prepared to lunge at Aro. He screamed in furry while Aro stood smiling down at him. "Calm down that dog, Carlisle," he said with a smirk.

Carlisle took a step forward and stuck out his finger. "Don't insult my family, Aro," he said in a strained voice. It was taking everything in him not to harm the man. "You've done enough damage and in my eyes, you are no longer fit to rule over anyone. Don't insult me further by laughing at my son."

Aro was silent for a long time as he processed what Carlisle said. Then, in a tight voice, he replied, "Carlisle, you will never be able to stop me. You lost your say with us when you abandoned us to fulfill your little dream of being a _nice_ vampire."

"We don't have time for this, Carlisle," I whispered under my breath.

He stood still as he worked on pushing back his anger, finally nodding. "Let us in, Aro. All we want is the girl."

Panic started rising in my chest. We seemed to be stuck in this place between Aro and the dumb guard. I knew it was completely irrational, but the sound of Lisa screaming was making it hard to keep calm.

Jasper was the first one to move. "Cover me, Bella," he whispered as he passed her by. The bubble floated with him as he moved towards Aro, who was watching him with a sort of amused grin on his face.

What are you doing, Jasper?

Before I could blink, Jasper's hand shot out and pushed Aro's head back. Suddenly it was like the world was moving in slow motion. As Aro fell, Jasper reached into the man's shirt and pulled out a little flask. He turned and caught my eye. The flask came flying through air, turning in circle before it landed in my hands. I glanced at it and recognized it immediately. It was the same flask Aro had kept his holy water in before. I turned on my heel and sprinted to the guard, who was watching everything going on in a slow fascination. As my legs propelled me forward, I pulled out the cork and sent the flask flying straight into the guard's chest. At first nothing happened. The guard stared down at his chest, his hands coming up as if he was going to catch the little bottle. But instead it smashed against his rock hard abs and broke into a million pieces. Water spilled down his chest, rippling over his belly.

Suddenly, the man's face contorted in pure terror as he sank down on one knee, grabbing at his chest. A scream ripped from his throat, joined by two others. One I recognized as Lisa's, and the other I confirmed as Aro's when I whirled around.

Aro had sunk to his knees as he watched his creation die. In a moment, he would be up and charging at us. "Move!" I yelled as I pulled my shoulder forward to ram open the steel door.

Something was lying just inside the door; I didn't see it until I was sliding across the floor after tripping over it. Emmett flew in behind me, dodging the obstruction, heading right for Jane. She stood screaming in rage over a blonde rag doll.

As I pushed myself off the ground, I realized it was not a rag doll, but Lisa, lying completely still, a look of pure horror on her face. Her mouth was open in a silent cry, her eyes blind to what was going on around her.

I had no time to figure out what looked off about Lisa before Jane's eyes turned up to my face and I was hit by a battering ram of immobilizing fear. Emmett had fallen short of reaching Jane, probably frozen by the same thing I was. Stupidly, we had left the safety of Bella's bubble.

A second passed before Bella realized what had happened. Her bubble encased me once again, pushing into the room to cover Emmett and Lisa.

When Jane realized, we were no longer responding to her, she glanced up in confusion. Her hair hung wildly in her face, dried blood staining her mouth like lipstick. She glanced around the room and screamed in anger when she saw Bella. "You!" she screamed at my wife.

But Bella was not paying attention to the raving mad woman. Her round eyes were fixed on the limp figure laying in the corner of the room, curled up into a tight ball. Blood had formed a circle around the girl, who was shaking like a leaf. Carlisle moved past me and fell down next to the small body. He carefully lifted her head up and all I saw were the whites of her eyes. Her eyes had rolled back into her head. Her dark hair was pushed against her sweaty face, contrasting wildly with the white of her bloodless skin. I could hear her pulling in small, ragged breaths. Her lips moved slowly as her arms fell away from her legs, revealing bite marks and cuts, which seeped red.

Jane's eyes moved from Bella to the girl. "She deserved to die!" Jane yelled out frantically.

Aro's head appeared in the doorway, jerking around frantically as he scanned the battlefield. Jasper grabbed hold of the man, pulling his arms behind his back. Aro's eyes fell on Lisa and he uttered in shock, "Jane, what have you done?"

My eyes moved to the limp body on the floor. Finally, I realized what was so off about Lisa. All that was left of her was her leg and half of one arm. I glanced at the door in horror and realized what I had stumbled over was Lisa's right leg. "No," I heard Alice utter in disbelief. "No, no, no!" She grabbed up Lisa's leg and sank down beside her friend, pulling her limp frame into her arms. "No, no, no, Lisa!" Her blonde hair fell over Alice's arm like a waterfall, waving as her head bobbed around. "Wake up, Lisa!"

Body parts were scattered all around the room. Alice was reaching frantically with her free arm to gather them to her. I stood to help her. "Help me, Edward," Alice whispered, sounding like she might cry.

I spit into my hand and grabbed the lower part of Lisa's right leg, attaching it to the other part with my spit. Her skin sizzled as it reconnected, and slowly, I pieced her together.

"What are you doing?" Jane cried when she saw us. Emmett grabbed onto her before she could grab us. "She doesn't deserve to live for what she did to me!" she screamed as she tried to wriggle her way out of Emmett's grip.

A soft moan left Lisa's lips as her eyes fluttered open. Slowly, her faint voice filled my head.

Edward…Edward, you found me…

Her eyes rolled down to look at my face. I couldn't make out her pupils because her eyes had gone pitch black.

She needs blood.

As if she had heard me, Lisa echoed my thoughts back to me. _Blood, please._

"We need to go," I whispered to Carlisle, who was still sitting by the girl. Her breathing had stopped and I could hear her heart slowly give in from the blood loss.

He nodded and stood slowly. Alice tried to stand and pull up Lisa, but she crumpled down. Jane began screaming again when she realized what was happening.

What did you do to her, Lisa?

I gave her a taste of her own medicine and she didn't like it.

I smiled inwardly, wondering how it was that Lisa could hear me. What had happened here?

I grabbed hold of Lisa's arm and pulled her body over my shoulders. When I turned around, Aro was no longer standing in the door. I heard his grunting somewhere outside.

"Don't take her!" he screamed when he saw me. He grunted as Jasper pushed his knee into Aro's chest. He had him pinned down in the middle of the hall, a little ways away from the door I had just walked through.

Edward, I swear, if you take her, I'll come back and make her mine for good, and I'll kill her measly little husband.

"You're not laying a hand on her ever again, Aro," I growled at him.

Carlisle had squatted down next to the giant, examining him slowly. "What have you done to this man, Aro?"

He growled but didn't respond. He was trying to push himself off the floor, but he could go nowhere with Jasper on top of him, pinning him down.

"Someone needs to know about this," Carlisle muttered as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Nooo!" Aro screamed. He tried to jerk up but couldn't move.

"Someone has to know what you've done here, Aro," said Carlisle sternly.

"No, please, please," the man begged. "Take the girl! Just leave me be!" A sob left his throat. Something inside me warned me that this was a trick, that Aro was just acting, but I pushed it aside.

"Come on, Carlisle," I said over my shoulder as I made my way for the stairs.


	34. Chapter 34

34.

_Lisa's Perspective –_

I had almost given up all hope that I would ever get out of this place. When Jane tore into that poor girl and the blood started rushing out of her veins, I nearly gave in. I had not eaten for almost three days and my hunger was like a wild beast clawing at my throat.

Those last few hours were the worst of my entire existence. Many times I had to ask myself if what I was fighting for was really worth it. Each time, a picture of John popped into my head and I would find enough strength to help me hold on.

Jane didn't take that very well. She was at her end and had no idea what else she could do to win me over. She was nearly mad with anger because of what I had done to her.

I could sense Aro's presence every once in a while, feel his eyes peering down at me through the little window in the door, but I never turned my head to see him. All I could see was white as wave after wave of different extreme emotions flooded through my shaking body.

Jane had finally thrown the girl into a corner to bleed out, frustrated to no end that she was getting nowhere with me. "Say something!" she had yelled once or twice, but I remained mute. I watched the girl in the corner shaking uncontrollably like a leaf, growing whiter and whiter as her blood drained slowly from the various cuts and bites Jane had given her. Her pale blue eyes were as large as the moon as she stared unseeingly at the other side of the room. Her blood had started to run down through the cracks in the floor towards me. Every cell in my body begged me to fall down and lap it up like a dog. I felt like my mind was slowly fading away; the only thing I could hold on to was John.

I thought I was dreaming when I heard Alice's voice in the hallway outside. I opened my mouth to say her name but all that came out was a soft moan. Could it be that they had gotten my message and found me? For a long time there was silence, until the door burst open and I saw Edward standing there in all his glory. I thought that perhaps I had died, if a vampire could die. Suddenly, I felt empty as I was pulled out of Jane's mental grasp. The pain left me feeling like a rag doll, lying crumpled on the floor.

Bits and pieces of different conversations floated into my head and I wondered if people were talking to me. Though I never opened my mouth, it was like Edward and I were having a conversation. I felt Alice pull me into her arms, sobbing, as Jane screamed madly. I felt some shaking me and I voice filled my ears, desperately asking me to wake up.

Was that Alice?

I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not until I felt a surge of energy pulse through me as Edward slowly reattached my limbs. Then there was the sensation of being weightless as he lifted me into the air and pulled me over his shoulders.

My mouth moved to say his name but I couldn't speak. Someone said something about blood and hunger growled inside me.

Blood! Yes!

Cold air hit my face as I noticed I was being taken outside. Some one was rescuing me from my prison. _Thank you, thank you_.

_I'm so glad we found you_, I heard Edward say, but I couldn't be sure if it was in my head or not. I had no energy left to think through my thoughts. Suddenly a voice like an angel called out to me, saying my name. I was put down on something soft and warm arms wrapped themselves around me. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. I was so worried." Lips began kissing me all over.

_John?_

"Lisa?" someone called out to me softly and I tried to turn my head towards the sound. My vision was slowly coming back to me, though I felt like I was looking at the whole world through the bottom of a dirty glass. "Carlisle?" I managed to croak out.

"We need to get her some blood immediately," I heard someone say. "Her eyes are completely black."

_Black? Black. That was bad, wasn't it?_ My thoughts would not collect themselves.

Someone pulled me into sitting position and I fell back against a warm body.

"I'm right here, baby. I'll never leave," I heard a familiar voice whisper into my ear.


	35. Chapter 35

35.

_John's perspective –_

I had never seen her acting like this. She wasn't responding to anything anyone was saying and her eyes moved back and forth like she was scared of something. I wondered what had happened inside that house and wondered if I would ever know.

Her eyes were as black as coal, which Edward told me was because she had not had any blood since three days ago. Her mouth moved as if she was trying to form words but nothing came out. She sat leaning against me in the car, Alice on her other side. Edward was speeding down the small country road, kicking up dust and debris. He kept glancing back at Lisa with an odd expression on his face; it almost looked like there was something going on that he didn't understand. Alice was murmuring to Lisa, holding her hand tightly in both of hers. Lisa was still shaking slightly, as if she was cold. I wrapped my arms around her and held her against my chest. She smelled like dust and blood, but I ignored this as I lay my cheek against her hair.

We were driving through a forest when Edward pulled over the car in a hurry and jumped out.

"What's going on?" I asked, turning in my seat towards the now-open door.

"She needs blood," Edward explained as he motioned for me to step out of the car.

I let go of Lisa and stepped out, watching Edward catch her as she fell back and carefully pull her out of the car. He let her stand to see if she could walk, but her knees buckled in under her, and if it weren't for Edward's arm around her, she would have fallen to the ground. He pulled her over his shoulders and took off into the woods with a, "I'll be right back."

Alice glanced back at me, looking extremely worried and tired, and offered an apology before taking off after Edward. I put a foot forward to follow her before realizing how stupid that was. Bella saw me move and put her hand out to stop me. "Stay here," she said softly. "They won't take long."

Ten minutes later, I began pacing from one end of the car to the next. Bella had sat down in the driver's seat, her legs out and head in her hands, looking out towards where we had last seen Edward. She didn't move and was either ignoring me or didn't see me. I began biting my nails nervously – something I had been doing a lot lately – and watched for any signs of them coming back. The sun was beginning to rise, a bit of light showing itself over the treetops.

I had told Lisa that I wanted her to make me like her, but something about seeing her like she was now, eyes black and completely vulnerable, made me question if I wanted to be like that. Seeing her black eyes look around unseeingly, lost somewhere inside her mind – it was scary to me. I had thought of her as invincible up until now. And something about what Edward and Alice were helping her do in the forest sent my fears rolling in my gut with a strange feeling. All I wanted was to protect my baby, but maybe changing into a vampire couldn't even do that.

My hand was shaking now and I stilled it as my eyes ran over the grey tree trunks, watching for any sign of movement.


	36. Chapter 36

36.

_Lisa's perspective –_

I couldn't keep up with the pace Edward was traveling at. The trees whizzed past my head and I heard Alice somewhere behind us, running like mad to keep up with Edward.

The sensation of being lifted off the ground had sent my stomach rolling. I felt like maybe I might faint if I didn't get any blood soon. All around I could smell small animals like rabbits, hiding as we ran through the woods. I could see the sun was rising when we passed an open area; light filtered through the spaces in the treetops.

_Why is he taking me so far?_

Though I wasn't expecting an answer, I could hear Edward's answer ring in my head. _To be safe._

I didn't know what to make of this open dialogue I was having with Edward inside my mind.

_Edward, this is far enough!_

All these voices I was hearing in my head made me wonder if I was going insane. But I had no time to think about it as Edward slowed to a stop and put me down. "Can you hunt?" he asked me, squatting down in front of the rock he'd placed me on.

"Edward," Alice scolded her brother softly. "Of course she can't. She can barely sit on the rock."

I wondered if I could think up a smart reply but nothing came to mind. It would probably come to me hours after this, like it always did. Instead I shook my head, though it felt like I was dragging a stone with it for all the energy it required.

"Edward! Get her something, she's about to fall over." I felt Alice's hands grab unto me and hold me up. I hadn't realized I was falling until she stopped me. "Stay with us, Lisa," she whispered to me. Her scent flooded over me like perfume and I leaned forward, burying my head in her shoulder. "Alice," I murmured weakly. _What is happening to me?_

Seconds later, Edward came running back. Over Alice's shoulder, I could see he had a small deer clenched in his teeth. It fell at my feet, a huge gaping hole torn into its neck. In desperation for it's blood, I fell to the ground without even trying to catch myself and sank my teeth into the wound. Warm blood pulsed into my mouth as the door took it's last breath.

"More!" I heard Alice say to Edward as I moaned. I could feel my strength coming back to me with each gulp. I sucked it completely dry and pushed myself up on my hands and knees, panting. Slowly my sight came back to me and I noticed Alice watching me, worry creasing her face and shinning in her eyes. She was watching me carefully. When she saw I was getting better, her face broke into a smile. "I knew it would be okay," she whispered under her breath.

I pulled my hands up to look at them. The scars that had ringed my arm from where Edward had reattached it began to slowly disappear. I clenched my hands.

Edward was back in a flash, this time he laid a buck in front of me. Without thinking, I lunged for it. The burning in my throat subsided as I drank the huge animal dry.

Lifting my head to the sky and gazing up at the rising sun, I smiled and let out a contended sigh. I pushed myself up and rubbed the dirt off my jeans. I glanced at Edward and Alice, who were watching expectantly. I flashed them a grin. "Well, that was interesting," I commented.

I heard Edward's chuckle reverberate inside my head. Alice winked at me.

"Let's go home," I said.

We broke through the woods at lighting speed; the first thing I saw was the two cars and my husband pacing anxiously in front of one. "John!"

I skidded to a halt as he ran forward, slamming into me. He held me tightly, his breathe puffing on my neck. "Oh Lisa," he whispered as I kissed his head.

"I'm right here, baby," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I was so worried; I blamed myself for what happened. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, John."

"But I wanted to keep you safe and then this happened… I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing. You couldn't have done anything to stop it."

He glanced at me with sad eyes and whispered slowly, "I know."

His thoughts started running through my head, all his doubts and fears, everything he wanted to say but couldn't find the words for. I wondered if it would be like this always now, hearing everyone's secret thoughts. I glanced at Edward and he shook his head, still unsure what to make of it all.

_Carlisle will know_, he thought hopefully.

Keeping my eyes on Edward, I kissed John's forehead. Glancing down at him, I saw that he had put on a small smile. I smiled back up at him.

"I've missed you," I whispered happily.

He nodded. "Me too."

We stood for a few more minutes, whispering together, when Emmett called out, "Okay, you two lovebirds. Let's get moving!"

The sun was just coming over the top of the trees as I shut the car door. The tint on the car windows kept the sun out as it shone brightly on us.

We went from a winding country road to busy city streets. Edward pulled the car into a parking garage, explaining that they had some stuff in the hotel next to it. We piled out of the cars and made our way to the exit. John took my hand in his as we walked through the empty alley into the hotel. The hotel was nearly empty and we made our way to the rooms in silence. Alice grabbed my hand and whispered she would get me a change of clothes. I followed John into his room and helped him pack his bag. Occasionally he would look up at me and whisper an apology. When we were done packing, he took my hands in his and kissed them softly. "I love you," he whispered, looking up at me. Pulling one of my hands free, I put it against his warm cheek and whispered, "You won't loose me again."

A soft knock on the door came a few seconds later, and I opened it to find Alice standing in the hallway with a pile of clothes in her hands. She smiled as she breezed past me into the room. She turned to me and handed me the clothes. "I thought you might want to wear these," she said with a wink.

I laughed. "Thanks, Alice. How many changes of clothes did you bring, anyways?"

She was looking around the room and said casually, "Oh, about five or six."

I couldn't help but smile and shake my head as I made my way into the bathroom. My clothes smelled musty with splashes of blood here and there. I pulled it all off and stuck it in one of the small garbage bags at the bottom of the trashcan. Alice had given me a pair of jeans with a tank top and a light knit cardigan. I pulled the jeans on and noted that they fit remarkably well. I wondered if Alice had packed a pair of my jeans; the jeans were too long to fit her. As I picked up the cardigan, a small bottle rolled out from the folds and nearly smashed to the ground. My hand flew out to catch it and I glanced at it curiously. It was Alice's favorite perfume. I pulled on the cardigan and spritzed a little of the fragrance on my wrists and neck. The flowery scent filled the room instantly, though I noted it was not as strong as most perfumes. I exchanged my dirty socks for the pair Alice had given me and pulled on my black boots.

Before leaving the bathroom, I glanced in the mirror and noticed that I had some smudges on my cheeks. I looked around until I found a small washcloth and wet it, rubbing my cheeks clean. The white cloth came away from my face nearly black and I decided to wash my whole face just in case. When I was clean, I tossed the washcloth unto the marble sink counter and stepped out of the bathroom. John had already left, leaving Alice sitting on the bed. She looked up when she heard the door open and glanced me up and down. She smiled approvingly. "Cute shirt," she said with a grin.

I chuckled and replied, "Who would have know you had such good taste."

"Hey!" Alice replied, but she was laughing. We walked out of the room together. I glanced down the hall before stepping into the elevator and nearly tripped over myself. At the end of the room was Aro, walking towards us. He had a hood pulled over his face but I could tell it was him when he glanced up at where I stood. I froze in fear.


	37. Chapter 37

37.

"What's wrong?" I heard Alice say as she glanced to where I was staring. "What is it, Lisa?"

My vision began to fade at the edges and I wondered if I was going to faint.

"Don't you see…" I started to say when Aro disappeared right before my eyes. I blinked. "What the…" I whispered to myself.

"What did you see?" Alice asked me worriedly.

"Aro. He was here."

I focused in on Alice's face as I tried to process what had just happened. She was shaking her head.

It hit me like a runaway train. Edward's voice filled my head as I replayed the conversation I had with him in my mind at the villa. I gasped softly. I had seen one of Alice's visions.

I looked back down the hall and then back at Alice's round face. "I saw what you saw," I said in disbelief. "I have no idea how…"

Her face went blank. "You had a vision?"

"Yes, but it was one of yours."

Alice began shaking her head again. "You saw Aro? I never had that…" A look of shock crossed her face as she went quiet. Like a movie being replayed, I could see what she was seeing. Her mind went black when it ended and she grabbed my arm. "We have to go."

We spilled into the elevator and back out at the first floor, running to the exit and through the garage. "What happened?" I asked her as we made our way to the cars.

"Aro is coming here to find you." She glanced at me and realized that was not what I had been asking about. She looked back to the front before answering me. "I don't know how; you had one of my visions before I did. I didn't even see you having the vision…" she said, slightly frustrated.

"I can hear thoughts, too," I said after a short pause.

She glanced at me again, slightly surprised. "You can use Edward's gift without touching him?"

I nodded slowly. I could see the cars ahead. Everyone was already inside, Edward waving us forward as Carlisle pulled out of the parking space. Alice dove into the car, pulling me in after her.

I saw Edward glance at me through the mirror and I knew he had heard Alice and I's whole conversation.

"Step on it, Edward," Alice said as she straightened up.

During the short drive to the airport, no one said a word; even the thoughts were quiet.

We pulled into the parking lot next to the rows of plane hangars. Everyone grabbed his or her bag; I helped Alice carry one of the two she'd brought. Edward went to go return to keys from the car rental shop as the rest of us made our way to the plane hangar the Cullens were using.

"Sit next to me, will you," whispered Alice to me as she walked past to board the plane.

I glanced at John and nodded towards the plane, telling him to follow me.

I choose the last row of chairs to sit in, Alice taking the one closest to the aisle and John shuffling through the aisle to sit in the window seat.

The moment I sat down, Alice leaned over to me and whispered, "What do you think it means?"

I glanced at her before looking forward again, counting the threads in the seat cover as I thought. "I don't know," I finally whispered back.

"Do you think you can like… gain someone's ability?" She turned to me. "Do you think you have Jane's?"

I looked down at my hands, spread open on my lap. "I don't think I want them," I said, more to myself.

Alice nodded. "I wonder if Carlisle will be able to tell us what's happening."

"You think this has happened before?" I asked as I looked into her eyes. "Someone having the ability to gain other people's ability… if that's what it is that's happening to me." I glanced around slowly. "Maybe I'm going crazy," I whispered to her as slowly, I heard everyone's voice become clearer inside my head.

"I don't know." She was watching me thoughtfully. "Can you turn it off?"

I turned my head to look at her again. "Yeah, it just sort of disappears if I don't think about it."

She sat back in her chair, staring down the aisle. "I just don't understand why you saw the vision before I did."

I was silent for a long time. John had picked up my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine, his thumb absentmindedly rubbing my hand. Finally I glanced back at Alice to answer her question.

"Maybe it was because I was looking for it."

Sometime during the long flight, John's hand went slack in mine and his head bobbed about as he slept peacefully. Alice and I had grown quiet, though I knew she was still thinking about the addition to my gift.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about the whole thing. Being kidnapped and tortured had messed a little with the flow of my thoughts and I was finding it hard to concentrate sometimes. My mind kept wondering back to that little cell, a bleeding girl dying in the corner while a half-crazy vampire screamed over me. I blocked it out of my mind for the hundredth time and focused on what the others were doing. Bella was absorbed in a worn out copy of Wuthering Heights, while Emmett was reading sports news on his laptop. I saw Jasper walk over, nod at me, and squat down next to Alice. They started whispering together. Rose sat next to Emmett, her feet propped up on his lap. Her eyes were closed, her head bobbing slowly to whatever was playing on her mp3 player. Edward and Carlisle were behind the closed door, piloting the plane. Esme sat alone in the row next to ours, looking like a college student studying for an exam. She had a book on gardening opened up in front of her, a note pad on her lap, where she jotted down her notes as she scanned over the pages.

It was really quite amazing how close this family was, considering their personalities were all so unique. The Cullens were like a puzzle to me; one with no piece alike, but somehow they all fit together perfectly. I had them to thank a million times over for everything they had done for me, especially bringing John and I into their little family and finding a place to fit us into their puzzle. I wondered what John though of all this. The Cullens showed no signs of the kidnapping affecting them, while I knew it was the exact opposite for John. He internalized everything, and I knew he was blaming all this on himself. He would get it in his head that he somehow had to repay the Cullens for what they had done for me in Italy. Would he think giving up his life was a good payback? I had carefully avoided listening to his thoughts. Whatever he was thinking was private, and if he wanted to share it with me, he would. I had seen too many relationships destroyed because the girl had to know too much, never trusting the man. I had promised myself I would never allow myself to invade John's privacy like that.

Or perhaps he was reconsidering this whole vampire thing. Seeing me in the state I was in had maybe made him realize that we weren't as tough as we put out. Sure, no human would stand a chance, but there were other vampires who could do us damage. It seemed like the life of the Cullens revolved around confrontations and other vampires trying to kill them. John was probably beginning to realize that now; would he willingly plunge himself into that kind of life?

Being apart from him these last few days had made me realize I could never live without him. Though I had been strongly opposed to him becoming like me, now I was beginning to realize that maybe I did want it as well. To have him be with me forever would be like a fairytale come true in a way. Whatever forever brought for me, I would want him to be there by my side the whole way.


	38. Chapter 38

38.

John was still asleep when the plane landed. We were on an airstrip a little bit outside of Forks, where the Cullens rented a hangar. Darkness covered us as we filed out and gathered the luggage.

"John, wake up, baby," I whispered, softly shaking him awake.

"Huh?" he mumbled as he rolled his head towards me, his eyes slowly opening. "Are we home?"

"Yeah."

He let out a yawn and stretched, pulling himself out of the seat. He trudged sleepily after me as we made our way to the car.

The moment we walked through the door of our cabin, John headed straight for the bedroom and plopped down on the bed. In seconds, he was sound asleep. I went about silently unpacking his bag.

Everything was exactly how I remembered it. I stood in the middle of the living room for a long time, looking at everything. Being held captive for two days made you think a lot about your home. This little cabin had never felt more like home than now.

I glanced down at the crinkled shirt I wore. Somewhere in my mind I heard Edward thinking. He was talking to Carlisle about me. I pulled on a sweatshirt and decided to walk over. I scanned the area around the cabin carefully before stepping out, quickly making my way to the house.

Alice saw me come in and greeted me. "They're upstairs," she whispered in my ear as she took my arm and led me up the stairs to Carlisle's office.

Edward was slowly pacing the floor, looking lost in thought, while Carlisle watched him silently, contemplating. He looked up when he heard Alice and I enter.

"Lisa," he said softly, "We were just talking about you."

I nodded my knowledge of the fact.

"Of course you know," mumbled Carlisle in fascination. "Sit," he said a little louder to me.

"How do you think it happened?" asked Edward after I had taken a seat, tucking my legs under me. He had stopped pacing and stood, watching me thoughtfully, though he had asked the question to Carlisle.

"This is really quite fascinating," said Carlisle as a sort of response to Edward. "Has it happened with anyone else, Lisa?"

"Well, I guess I haven't really tried, but no."

"Did you try with Edward and Alice's gifts?"

"When I was locked up with Jane, I was able to get through the shield for a moment and send Edward a message, but I wasn't trying to hear him… or anyone else."

"And then what happened?"

"Edward was next to me but he wasn't touching me like he usually has to, and still I could hear his thoughts."

"Were you touching Alice when you saw the vision?"

I shook my head. "It just happened and I didn't even know… I wasn't trying."

"So it's involuntary."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah." I was wondering how ridiculous this conversation would sound to a normal person. But I wasn't normal anymore; I had accepted that a long time ago.

"And it just happened while you were locked up?"

Again I nodded.

Edward had been rubbing his chin, listening in silence. He spoke up now, "Do you think what happened pushed her gift further. Maybe the emotional surge caused something to break in her mind."

"Like she was blocking her full potential…" mussed Carlisle.

"Unintentionally, of course. But the extreme emotions that you experienced, whether because of Jane or just because of the situation, caused your gift to… expand. It broke down the wall that was blocking it."

"It makes sense," muttered Alice softly. She was sitting on the arm of the chair I sat in, leaning over me and playing with my hair absentmindedly. "But if she's simply seeing what I'm seeing, why didn't we see the vision at the same time? Why did she see it first?"

"I thought maybe because she was looking for it, watching for Aro," offered Edward.

Carlisle nodded, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against his chin. "It could be possible. Who knows; I don't think we will ever fully understand why it happened that way."

"It may not happen again," I offered to Alice, knowing she was feeling uneasy about someone stealing her 'spotlight'.

"I know," said Alice. "Maybe you're right, Ed, maybe it was just a one time thing." She sighed and I offered a smile up to her. She smiled back slowly at first, then breaking into a full one.

"It would be interesting to see if you can use others gifts."

"Perhaps I can use Edward and Alice's because I have been around them the most."

Carlisle nodded. "Good thought. It's very possible. You are very used to using your gift with use theirs, and not so much with the others."

"I'll try doing it more with the others and see if it happens."

There was silence for a long time. Edward finally took a seat. I glanced at him and cleared my throat. "Edward?" I asked slowly.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at me.

"Does it ever stop? I mean, is there a way to turn it off?"

Edward shrugged, searching my face as if looking for the answer in it. "No," he finally said, "I've just grown used to it, learned to ignore it."

"Is it hard with both of us in your head?" asked Alice softly.

I glanced up at her, thinking. "No, it's not so much that. I just don't always feel comfortable invading people's minds like that."

I glanced at Edward, hoping he would understand. He nodded slowly. "I know. It is both a blessing and a curse in some ways."

I folded my hands in my lap slowly, wondering what this new addition to my gift would mean for me. Sure, now I could hear everyone's thoughts whenever I wanted and I would randomly see people's futures, but was it going to help me at all or just wear me down mentally?

"It's quite extraordinary," said Carlisle after a long pause. He said it as a closing statement to our conversation.

I unfolded myself from the chair and walked out quietly, Alice behind me. We made our way silently down the stairs, plopping down on the sofa in the Cullens' living room.

Alice broke the silence first. "Do you want to try now?" she asked me slowly.

I glanced at her. I knew what she meant; she wanted me to try and see if I could use anybody else's gift without touching them. "Do you want me to?"

She shrugged and I smiled. "You already know what I'm going to say."

She laughed and got up from the couch. "Jasper!" she yelled softly.


	39. Chapter 39

39.

"I don't feel anything," I said, feeling slightly dejected. I wasn't sure if I had wanted Alice's little experiment to work; did I really want one more thing cluttering my mind, feeding me information I didn't need? But in a way I was disappointed to realize that maybe I couldn't do everything.

"Maybe it takes longer," Alice said hopefully. She was starting to realize that I wasn't super as well.

I glanced out the window, watching the sun slowly rising. Birds began their songs all around. I let out a sigh and stood up. "John will be up soon."

Alice nodded, thinking. She snapped out of it and glanced at me, smiling. "Thanks for trying."

I nodded. "Sure." My lips turned up in a slow smile as I turned towards the door.

I was a few feet away from the cabin when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned and found Alice walking towards me. "Lisa," she said softly. "I just wanted to tell you…" She reached me and folded her arms slowly, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Yes?"

She bit her lip before answering me. "You're so brave, you know, for everything that happened to you."

I shrugged.

"I wouldn't have been able to do that, watching Aro and Jane slowly kill that girl. And all that mental abuse…" She stopped, realizing she wasn't saying what she wanted to. "When I was little, I had a hard time with people who were better than me; the smarter ones or prettier ones. So I did everything I could to be the prettiest and smartest and funniest. When I realized that there was something wrong with my head, that I wasn't like anyone else, I thought I was cursed. But later it turned out to make me even more special." Again she stopped. "What I'm trying to say is that, if anyone had to be better than me at something, I would choose you. I'm okay with someone being better than me as long as it's you."

I wasn't sure how to respond, but there seemed no need when Alice continued.

"You're so strong and brave, always so optimistic… If I could grow up, I'd want to be you," she said with a kind of embarrassed chuckle.

"Alice," I started to say, thought I wasn't sure what I was going to say after that. Her face moved back to a slightly serious look.

"Whatever you and John choose for his future, I know that you will never regret it. He's so lucky to have you." She glanced at the cabin behind me and then back at my face. "Thank you for being my friend. I need someone like you in my life."

I smiled, slightly confused. "Why do you think that? You do fine without me."

Alice chuckled dryly. "No, not really. I was too full of myself."

I laughed. "You, full of yourself? No."

She glanced at her hands. "Maybe it's an exaggeration, but I know you make me a better person for the good of others, not myself."

I smiled, pulling her into my arms. "Thank you for telling me all this," I whispered into her hair.

I felt her nod against my chest.

"And thanks to you for pulling me through that night when Camila told me all that stuff…" she broke off.

"Of course," I said as I kissed her head.

I felt her pull away slowly, letting me catch a glimpse of her face. Pain stung me in my heart when I saw the sadness in her eyes. "You really miss them, don't you?"

She nodded slowly, biting her lip and looking off to the side. "Yeah," she managed to say.

"It's okay, you know, to feel that way."

She looked at me, looking a little hopeful. "Yeah?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Sometimes I want to go back to just see it all, my old house and my parent's graves. But then I think it might only hurt me more."

I nodded. "I know."

Her eyes drifted around the woods surrounding us, finally landing back on me. "Do you miss your parents?"

I hadn't thought about my mom and dad in a long time, and the mention of them brought a dull ache to my heart. "Yeah," I whispered. "I miss them a lot."

She nodded slowly, watching my face, sympathy and knowledge shinning in her eyes. "And your baby," she added so softly that I barely heard her.

"Yes," is all I could manage, the dull ache growing to a loud roar. It filled my ears like ocean waves.

She let out a slow sigh after a long time of silence. "It's part of this life, I guess, watching those you love leave you or die."

I nodded, glancing in the direction of Bella and Edward's cabin. "He hasn't got much longer to live, does he?" I asked softly.

Alice glanced in the direction I was staring and shook her head slowly. "No. I don't know how she'll handle it."

"She loves him so much," I said, nodding.

"So does Nessie. He's really the only one of Bella's parents that she gets to be around, and he dotes on her so much."

I let out another sigh and glanced towards the house.

"He's had a good life."

I nodded. "Sometimes I think that's what I want John to have."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly, only for a second before dropping down. "He can have a good life with you for eternity too."

"Maybe."

She knew what I meant. "Seeing his wife get kidnapped and not being able to do anything about it… I would want to claw out of my skin if that happened to me. If he says he wants this, Lisa, he wants it. And whatever life throws at you along the way, you will both take in stride and overcome it together."

I nodded, my eyes lifted to the sky. "Yeah," I replied softly. "Yeah."

She took my hand in hers and squeezed it. When I looked back down, she was gone. "Thank you, Alice," I whispered after her.


	40. Chapter 40

40.

I watched as the sun shone through a crack in the curtains, lighting up a section of John's face. He was still sleeping deeply. I had snuck in quietly after my talk with Alice and sat down on the bed beside him.

I lay down beside him slowly, careful not to rock the bed, and put my arm around his waist. I could hear his heart beat softly, the blood pushing through his veins, his slow breathing. I wondered what it would be like to never hear those sounds again. Something about the way his warm skin felt against mine made me wish he would reconsider his choice. Would I miss feeling his hand in mine, trying desperately to warm it. Did he miss that about me; the softness of my skin and the way it would move under his touch. I thought that sometimes he missed the color of my eyes and the way my hair bounced as I moved. There were so many things that had changed about me that I didn't really realize. I nuzzled my nose in his hair and took in his scent. He would always smell this good, I was sure of that.

Slowly, John began to move as he stumbled out of the deep slumber. He turned towards me and slowly cracked his eyes open.

"Hello, handsome," I whispered when his eyes focused on my face.

He hugged the covers to his chest and mumbled a good morning.

"Sorry," I said when I realized I was probably giving him chills. I pushed myself up with my arm, but he caught my wrist before I could get off the bed. "No, stay," he mumbled.

I lay down again and watched as his eyelids dropped back down slowly as he tried to fight off sleep. I knew it was not because he was physically tired, but more that he was emotionally weary. I pushed back a lock of hair with my fingers.

"Alice thinks I'm brave," I whispered slowly, knowing he was awake, though his eyes were still shut.

"Yeah?" he asked sleepily. "You are."

I smiled. "You think so?"

"Braver than me."

"No, I'm not." I paused and studied his face. "You're stronger than you think you are. You compare yourself to the wrong people."

"Like you?"

"Yes, because it's different with me."

"Because you're not human anymore, right." His eyes were now open, searching my face.

I nodded slowly. "Yes." I began rubbing his cheek with my thumb. "You're the strongest person I know."

"But not strong enough." I could hear the sadness and longing in his voice, see the despair in his eyes.

"You don't need to protect me, John. All I want is for you to love me."

"I need to protect you, for me. That's how I show you that I love you."

"But I know you love me."

"I don't feel like you really know it. I feel weak sitting on the sidelines while someone else rescues you. I'm the one who married you, so I should be the one saving you."

"I don't want you to give up your life because of me," I said slowly.

He watched me for a long time, taking in my face slowly. Finally he answered, "What other thing would there be that could make me do that but you?"

"John," I whispered with an exhaled breath.

"I just want to love you the way I've always imagined I would love you." After a few moments, he rolled unto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "We're living a lie, Lisa. We've tried fooling ourselves that this relationship can work, can survive. We both know it can't." His head rotated to look at me. "All I'm asking for is a chance to let me live a long life with you, a happy life. Whatever life you think I have now is a myth. I've just been an empty shell since the night of the accident, and I can't keep pretending that what we have right now fully satisfies me."

I pushed myself closer to him and placed my head on his chest. I knew exactly what he meant, because I felt the same way. I bit my lip and fought back a wave of sadness. "I'm just so scared of doing it, so scared to see you in pain."

"Three days of pain for a life time of loving you is an easy price to pay. Living like this until I die, however, would be worse than all the pain in the world combined."

My finger had begun tracing patterns in his shirt. "You really want this?" I asked slowly. I rolled my head unto his arm so I could look at his face.

"Yes," he said with a firm nod. "I do."

"Okay," I whispered softly. "Forever it is, then."

His fingers intertwined with mine as he whispered sweetly in my ear. "Forever."


End file.
